For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
Isaiah 57:15 KJV
We read in this verse that the eternal, holy, God desires to dwell with the humble and contrite. His desire is to revive the spirit of those who are lowly and broken in spirit. Indeed, we see that God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).
This is where the problem lies; our pride. It is our pride, our exalting ourselves above the reign of God within our hearts, that shuts out the flow of His presence and grace within our lives. Pride is the exact opposite of humility. God resists the proud. The picture is that of an army standing in battle formation against the proud individual. This is not where you or I want to be.
In David's prayer of repentance, we see that the sacrifices acceptable to God are a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17). You see, we must be humbled if we are to receive grace. Jesus said we must receive the kingdom of God as a little child if we are to enter it (Mark 10:15). He is speaking of humility, becoming as nothing in our own eyes, and in the eyes of the world.
To be contrite is to be crushed, broken, and ground into dust. It means that we are sorrowful, and grieved in our hearts because our sin has grieved and offended God. Contrition is not feeling sorry for ourselves, feeling sorrow because we did something bad, feeling sorrow over being caught in our sin, or sorrow at the thought of sins consequences. No, godly sorrow is the sorrow that comes from a heart that is crushed because we have sinned against God (2 Cor 7:9-11). David said "Against thee, thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight" (Psalm 51:4 KJV).
Only when one has been broken in this way, can one truly repent. An individual who has felt the deep sorrow over sin, how odious it is to God, how it has pained the heart of God, will leave it. Such a one is done with sin, not because sin has consequences, but because God hates sin. This individual will live his or her life careful to please God in all things. They fear sin most of all because they do not wish to grieve God.
Oh that We would experience a mighty move of God in this day! That we would feel the deep conviction of sin that would break us and grind us to powder as wheat is ground into flour. The mighty convicting power of the Holy Spirit, that would bring us to our knees in humility and repentance. We so desperately need a move of God in our generation, a move that would revive and refresh us; a move that would bring us back to the heart of God; a move that would bring His presence back into our lives and assemblies once again. Oh that we could be humble and contrite of spirit, so that God would dwell with us once again.
Showing posts with label grieving the Spirit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grieving the Spirit. Show all posts
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Grieving the Spirit.
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.
Ephesians 4:30-32 KJV
Many Christians find themselves in a rut. Their lives seem dry and empty. Many struggle to pray; it seems the heavens are like brass, and no prayer can get through. For many, church has become a mere routine. Worship has lost the life that it once had. Instead of sensing the nearness of the presence of God, He now seems distant, and silent. What has happened? The Christian life that was once vibrant is now strangely stagnant.
There are many Christians who have allowed bitterness and anger to slip into their lives. Something has caused an offense, and instead of gracefully letting it go, it has been allowed to fester deep within the heart. Others have fallen into the habit of gossip and slander. It seems so harmless to talk about what is happening in the life of someone else. What happens when we gossip and backbite; when we become bitter and unforgiving, is that we grieve the Holy Spirit. We have ceased to walk in love, the very thing the Holy Spirit desires to form in us.
To grieve the Spirit is to cause Him deep sorrow and pain. We are no longer keeping in step with the Spirit's leading, but are in opposition to the unity He is striving for among brethren. We are walking in the flesh! We block the flow of the Spirit's presence and power by our sin. This is why Jesus tells us to first go and be reconciled to our brother (Matt 5:23-24). This is why Jesus tells us to forgive, if we would be forgiven (Matt 6:14-15). Bitterness will shut out our prayers (Mark 11:25-26). We often take our Christian life for granted. We do not always notice the coolness slipping into our spiritual lives. We do not always sense the "silence" of the Spirit.
If we would have Him back in real presence and power, we must repent! We must go back and find where we have been angry, where we have harbored bitterness. We must search it out and be reconciled to those we have offended, and forgive those who have offended us. We must let it go! Why not be wronged, as Paul states (1 Cor 6:7)? We must look at the gossip and slander that we have partaken of, and if necessary, go and undo the damage that we have caused, to the best of our ability. These are hard words, but unless we are willing to do what we can to make things right, we have not really repented.
We are called to walk worthy of the call of God in our lives. This is to be done in humility, meekness, and patience. We are to put up with one another in love, striving to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:1-3). As Christians we are to work hard, with much patience, and much grace, to walk in true unity. This means that we must be kind, we must be humble, we must forgive, we must love! This is what the Holy Spirit is accomplishing in the body as we cooperate with Him. If we would desire His presence among us, and His power at work in and through us, we must walk in love!
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.
Ephesians 4:30-32 KJV
Many Christians find themselves in a rut. Their lives seem dry and empty. Many struggle to pray; it seems the heavens are like brass, and no prayer can get through. For many, church has become a mere routine. Worship has lost the life that it once had. Instead of sensing the nearness of the presence of God, He now seems distant, and silent. What has happened? The Christian life that was once vibrant is now strangely stagnant.
There are many Christians who have allowed bitterness and anger to slip into their lives. Something has caused an offense, and instead of gracefully letting it go, it has been allowed to fester deep within the heart. Others have fallen into the habit of gossip and slander. It seems so harmless to talk about what is happening in the life of someone else. What happens when we gossip and backbite; when we become bitter and unforgiving, is that we grieve the Holy Spirit. We have ceased to walk in love, the very thing the Holy Spirit desires to form in us.
To grieve the Spirit is to cause Him deep sorrow and pain. We are no longer keeping in step with the Spirit's leading, but are in opposition to the unity He is striving for among brethren. We are walking in the flesh! We block the flow of the Spirit's presence and power by our sin. This is why Jesus tells us to first go and be reconciled to our brother (Matt 5:23-24). This is why Jesus tells us to forgive, if we would be forgiven (Matt 6:14-15). Bitterness will shut out our prayers (Mark 11:25-26). We often take our Christian life for granted. We do not always notice the coolness slipping into our spiritual lives. We do not always sense the "silence" of the Spirit.
If we would have Him back in real presence and power, we must repent! We must go back and find where we have been angry, where we have harbored bitterness. We must search it out and be reconciled to those we have offended, and forgive those who have offended us. We must let it go! Why not be wronged, as Paul states (1 Cor 6:7)? We must look at the gossip and slander that we have partaken of, and if necessary, go and undo the damage that we have caused, to the best of our ability. These are hard words, but unless we are willing to do what we can to make things right, we have not really repented.
We are called to walk worthy of the call of God in our lives. This is to be done in humility, meekness, and patience. We are to put up with one another in love, striving to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:1-3). As Christians we are to work hard, with much patience, and much grace, to walk in true unity. This means that we must be kind, we must be humble, we must forgive, we must love! This is what the Holy Spirit is accomplishing in the body as we cooperate with Him. If we would desire His presence among us, and His power at work in and through us, we must walk in love!
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Where Is The Shame?
"Open shame belongs to us, O, Lord, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against you."
Daniel 9:9 NASB
We have been taught that shame is a bad thing; that we need to feel good about ourselves; we need to have high self esteem.
As a result, we now see individuals within the visible Church proudly living in sinful behavior. They have overcome any guilt and shame that they might have felt over their sin, and instead chosen to flaunt their wickedness.
We see so much acceptance of sin today. What was once understood as evil, is now openly embraced by many who would call themselves Christians. Things that were once disgraceful to even mention (Ephesians 5:12), are now common place. We can speak of these things without blushing in shame. It all has to do with feeling good about ourselves and others. Many believe that this is sharing the "love of Christ" with struggling individuals, but sadly the promotion of self esteem ultimately leaves us outside of the grace of God in Christ Jesus.
John tells us that if we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, if we say we have not sinned, we are saying that God is a liar, and His word is not in us (1 John 1:8, 10). This is what so many do today. They have chosen to throw away the shame associated with sin, they have hardened their hearts, and openly embraced their sin, as a lifestyle. In other words, people no longer consider sinful acts as sin, but instead excuse things as life choices, or being born a certain way, or going so far as to claim God made them that way. So many modern "Christians" claim liberty. They somehow believe that they have freedom in Christ to do the very things that separate them from Him. The gospel, to them, has liberated them from guilt, while they remain in sin. The very thing that should drive one to the cross of Christ in repentance and faith, has been cast off in the name of self esteem.
God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Those who openly flaunt their sinful lifestyles may feel no more guilt or shame, but yet their sin remains. If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sin (1 John 1:9). To confess sin is to agree with God about our sin, and about ourselves. We agree that sin is offensive to God. We agree with Him, and take the responsibility for our actions. Yes, sin is shameful, and we should be ashamed of our sinful actions. True confession makes no excuses, and does not seek to justify our wicked behavior in any way. The truly humble sinner seeking grace, is willing to forsake his sin, because of the offense it causes God. That is his greatest shame; not the fact that he has done shameful things, but that he has grieved God.
God never intends for us to remain in guilt and shame. Yet, as a holy, and righteous God, He will never allow us to cast off our shame, and brazenly remain in our sin. He will free us from our guilt, and not only the guilt, but the power of sin, if we will give up, in humble submission to Him.
Daniel 9:9 NASB
We have been taught that shame is a bad thing; that we need to feel good about ourselves; we need to have high self esteem.
As a result, we now see individuals within the visible Church proudly living in sinful behavior. They have overcome any guilt and shame that they might have felt over their sin, and instead chosen to flaunt their wickedness.
We see so much acceptance of sin today. What was once understood as evil, is now openly embraced by many who would call themselves Christians. Things that were once disgraceful to even mention (Ephesians 5:12), are now common place. We can speak of these things without blushing in shame. It all has to do with feeling good about ourselves and others. Many believe that this is sharing the "love of Christ" with struggling individuals, but sadly the promotion of self esteem ultimately leaves us outside of the grace of God in Christ Jesus.
John tells us that if we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, if we say we have not sinned, we are saying that God is a liar, and His word is not in us (1 John 1:8, 10). This is what so many do today. They have chosen to throw away the shame associated with sin, they have hardened their hearts, and openly embraced their sin, as a lifestyle. In other words, people no longer consider sinful acts as sin, but instead excuse things as life choices, or being born a certain way, or going so far as to claim God made them that way. So many modern "Christians" claim liberty. They somehow believe that they have freedom in Christ to do the very things that separate them from Him. The gospel, to them, has liberated them from guilt, while they remain in sin. The very thing that should drive one to the cross of Christ in repentance and faith, has been cast off in the name of self esteem.
God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Those who openly flaunt their sinful lifestyles may feel no more guilt or shame, but yet their sin remains. If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sin (1 John 1:9). To confess sin is to agree with God about our sin, and about ourselves. We agree that sin is offensive to God. We agree with Him, and take the responsibility for our actions. Yes, sin is shameful, and we should be ashamed of our sinful actions. True confession makes no excuses, and does not seek to justify our wicked behavior in any way. The truly humble sinner seeking grace, is willing to forsake his sin, because of the offense it causes God. That is his greatest shame; not the fact that he has done shameful things, but that he has grieved God.
God never intends for us to remain in guilt and shame. Yet, as a holy, and righteous God, He will never allow us to cast off our shame, and brazenly remain in our sin. He will free us from our guilt, and not only the guilt, but the power of sin, if we will give up, in humble submission to Him.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Lessons From David's Sin.
It is a grievous thing when a child of God allows sin in his or her life. This is what happened to King David, when he committed adultery, and murder, in taking the wife of Uriah (2 Samuel 11:1-27).
We are shown three things that made David's sin so offensive to God.
1. He despised the word of the Lord (2 Samuel 12:9).
God Had been generous to David, and if that had not been enough, He would have given him even more (2 Samuel 12:7-8). By striking down Uriah, and taking his wife, David showed that he despised the word of the Lord. To despise something is to count it as nothing; it does not mean anything to you, it is unimportant. One who despises the word of the Lord does not regard it as important enough to listen to or obey. Can you imagine saying to God, "I despise your word. I do not care about it, and I will not obey it." Sounds shocking, and most of us would not dare say it to God, but when we knowingly disobey the word of the Lord, we are saying this by our actions. In our hearts, we despise the word of the Lord.
2. David despised the Lord (2 Samuel 12:10).
Not only did David show contempt for the word of the Lord, he also showed contempt for God, who gave that word. In disobeying the command of God, David showed that he despised God within his heart. To disregard the commands of God, is to disregard God who gave those commands. Once again, we would never dare to tell God that we despise Him, but our actions speak loudly, betraying the true state of our hearts. It is nothing but arrogant pride to rise up in disobedience to God. We are placing ourselves above Him when we do this.
3. His sin gave occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme (2 Samuel 12:14).
When the enemies of Christ see professed Christians living in sin, they take occasion to mock and scorn Christianity. It is a grievous thing to bring reproach to Jesus in this way. The world looks at lukewarm Christianity with contempt. They want nothing of a gospel that leaves its followers looking just like the rest of the world. They think to themselves that they are really not any different than the Christianity that they see, so why do they need it? Who can tell the damage that has been done by Christians falling into public sin; and much worse, persisting in it, without a genuine confession, and forsaking it.
The writer of Hebrews warns us that under the new covenant we are held to a much higher standard (Hebrews 10:26-31). Notice that when we as Christians fall into unrepentant sin, we
1. Trample underfoot the Son of God.
2. Regard as unclean the blood of the covenant, by which we are sanctified.
3. We insult the Spirit of grace.
Once again, we would never say that Jesus means nothing to us, or that His blood was unclean. We would never purposely insult the Holy Spirit, or make a mockery of the grace of God, but when we deliberately sin, this is what we are doing!
It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31), but like David, we too can find grace. However, damage has been done to the cause of Christ. Others have seen, and now have an opportunity to mock God because of our sin. Let's learn from this unfortunate event in the life of David, and strive to live a life that brings glory and honor to the Savior who gave Himself for us.
We are shown three things that made David's sin so offensive to God.
1. He despised the word of the Lord (2 Samuel 12:9).
God Had been generous to David, and if that had not been enough, He would have given him even more (2 Samuel 12:7-8). By striking down Uriah, and taking his wife, David showed that he despised the word of the Lord. To despise something is to count it as nothing; it does not mean anything to you, it is unimportant. One who despises the word of the Lord does not regard it as important enough to listen to or obey. Can you imagine saying to God, "I despise your word. I do not care about it, and I will not obey it." Sounds shocking, and most of us would not dare say it to God, but when we knowingly disobey the word of the Lord, we are saying this by our actions. In our hearts, we despise the word of the Lord.
2. David despised the Lord (2 Samuel 12:10).
Not only did David show contempt for the word of the Lord, he also showed contempt for God, who gave that word. In disobeying the command of God, David showed that he despised God within his heart. To disregard the commands of God, is to disregard God who gave those commands. Once again, we would never dare to tell God that we despise Him, but our actions speak loudly, betraying the true state of our hearts. It is nothing but arrogant pride to rise up in disobedience to God. We are placing ourselves above Him when we do this.
3. His sin gave occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme (2 Samuel 12:14).
When the enemies of Christ see professed Christians living in sin, they take occasion to mock and scorn Christianity. It is a grievous thing to bring reproach to Jesus in this way. The world looks at lukewarm Christianity with contempt. They want nothing of a gospel that leaves its followers looking just like the rest of the world. They think to themselves that they are really not any different than the Christianity that they see, so why do they need it? Who can tell the damage that has been done by Christians falling into public sin; and much worse, persisting in it, without a genuine confession, and forsaking it.
The writer of Hebrews warns us that under the new covenant we are held to a much higher standard (Hebrews 10:26-31). Notice that when we as Christians fall into unrepentant sin, we
1. Trample underfoot the Son of God.
2. Regard as unclean the blood of the covenant, by which we are sanctified.
3. We insult the Spirit of grace.
Once again, we would never say that Jesus means nothing to us, or that His blood was unclean. We would never purposely insult the Holy Spirit, or make a mockery of the grace of God, but when we deliberately sin, this is what we are doing!
It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31), but like David, we too can find grace. However, damage has been done to the cause of Christ. Others have seen, and now have an opportunity to mock God because of our sin. Let's learn from this unfortunate event in the life of David, and strive to live a life that brings glory and honor to the Savior who gave Himself for us.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Grieving the Spirit.
Many people live devoid of the Spirit's power in their lives. They wonder why their prayer lives seem dull and listless. Others seem to have no victory in their lives. They struggle with besetting sins. We wonder that there is no convicting power in our preaching and witnessing.
The word of God tells us to be filled with the Spirit continually (Ephesians 5:18). This is the source of the Christian's power. Many Christians are filled with the Holy Spirit, and experience His power and presence in their lives, only to find out at some point that they are empty, powerless.
We are warned against grieving The Spirit of God in Ephesians 4:30-32 (NASB).
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
You can see that it is our anger, our wrath, bitterness, unforgiveness, etc, that grieves the Holy Spirit, and causes us to lose His power and presence in our lives. Our fellowship with God through His Spirit in us, can be broken by our lack of love for our fellow human beings.
When we explode in anger we grieve the Spirit. When we slander someone we grieve Him. To be bitter, to refuse to forgive, to be argumentative, will grieve the Holy Spirit, and shut off the flow of His power in our lives.
What do we do to get back His presence and power in our lives? REPENT! confess it to God, and go back to the one you have offended, and make it right. Jesus tells us to first be reconciled to our brother, then offer our gift on the altar (Matt 5:23-25). What good is it to tell God we are sorry, but never apologize to one we have hurt with our anger or by slandering their name. We must make it right if we would desire to open up the flow of the Spirit's life and power once again.
Jesus tells us to forgive in the same way He forgives us. He tells us that when we stand praying, we are to forgive others (Mark 11:24-26). Our prayers will be hindered otherwise. In fact we can not be forgiven if we will not forgive. God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).
You see it is all about love. We are to love our fellow man as Christ has loved us. Our relationship with Christ hinges upon our love for Him, and each other. We cannot say we love Him if we hate our brother (1 John 4:20). It is all bound together.
In Colossians we read that love is the bond of unity among Christian brethren. We are to be kind, compassionate, forgiving, humble, gentle, and patient (Col 3:12-14). This is what the Holy spirit works to accomplish within the body of Christ. He strives to bring about unity, in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:1-3). When we let our anger get the best of us, or allow bitterness to spring up and fester, we find ourselves fighting the Holy Spirit's work in us. Anything that we would do that selfishly hurts another believer chips away at the unity that God desires among brethren. There is a serious warning for those who would destroy the temple of the Holy Spirit by causing strife (1 Cor 3:16-18).
We have a high and holy calling as followers of Christ. Let us love one another as Christ has loved us. This is how the world will know that we are Christians, by our love (John 17: 22-23).
The word of God tells us to be filled with the Spirit continually (Ephesians 5:18). This is the source of the Christian's power. Many Christians are filled with the Holy Spirit, and experience His power and presence in their lives, only to find out at some point that they are empty, powerless.
We are warned against grieving The Spirit of God in Ephesians 4:30-32 (NASB).
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
You can see that it is our anger, our wrath, bitterness, unforgiveness, etc, that grieves the Holy Spirit, and causes us to lose His power and presence in our lives. Our fellowship with God through His Spirit in us, can be broken by our lack of love for our fellow human beings.
When we explode in anger we grieve the Spirit. When we slander someone we grieve Him. To be bitter, to refuse to forgive, to be argumentative, will grieve the Holy Spirit, and shut off the flow of His power in our lives.
What do we do to get back His presence and power in our lives? REPENT! confess it to God, and go back to the one you have offended, and make it right. Jesus tells us to first be reconciled to our brother, then offer our gift on the altar (Matt 5:23-25). What good is it to tell God we are sorry, but never apologize to one we have hurt with our anger or by slandering their name. We must make it right if we would desire to open up the flow of the Spirit's life and power once again.
Jesus tells us to forgive in the same way He forgives us. He tells us that when we stand praying, we are to forgive others (Mark 11:24-26). Our prayers will be hindered otherwise. In fact we can not be forgiven if we will not forgive. God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).
You see it is all about love. We are to love our fellow man as Christ has loved us. Our relationship with Christ hinges upon our love for Him, and each other. We cannot say we love Him if we hate our brother (1 John 4:20). It is all bound together.
In Colossians we read that love is the bond of unity among Christian brethren. We are to be kind, compassionate, forgiving, humble, gentle, and patient (Col 3:12-14). This is what the Holy spirit works to accomplish within the body of Christ. He strives to bring about unity, in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:1-3). When we let our anger get the best of us, or allow bitterness to spring up and fester, we find ourselves fighting the Holy Spirit's work in us. Anything that we would do that selfishly hurts another believer chips away at the unity that God desires among brethren. There is a serious warning for those who would destroy the temple of the Holy Spirit by causing strife (1 Cor 3:16-18).
We have a high and holy calling as followers of Christ. Let us love one another as Christ has loved us. This is how the world will know that we are Christians, by our love (John 17: 22-23).
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