May 17, 2020. Ephesians 4:30-31

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SAINT RESTRAINT. EPHESIANS 4:30-31. AM. 05/17/20. #21.

Ephesians 4:30-31 New King James Version (NKJV)

³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

• Grieving the Holy Spiritually        
  • Coming to Christ does not produce sinless perfection
    • Romans 7, Paul continually struggled against his old nature
    • II Corinthians 10:3-5 we have powerful weapons to fight against our old nature in our internal struggles
  • I Corinthians 3, there are many carnal & immature believers (Hebrews 5)
  • Five main battles in our internal spiritual warfare:
    • Ignorance – not knowing God’s word (II Timothy 2:15, Romans 10:17, II Timothy 3:16-17, Psalms 119, Hebrews 4:12, I Peter 3:15)
    • Willfulness – stubbornly not wanting to battle our old nature (James 1:21, James 4:18, I Samuel 15) = GREATEST BATTLE
    • Reactiveness – sinful responses (Galatians 5:17-19, I Corinthians 9:27)
    • Undisciplined spirit – lack of self-control (James 1:7-8; Jacob; Samson, David)
    • Spiritual Fatigue – being weary in well doing (Galatians 6:8; I Peter 5:6; II Thessalonians 3:13)
  • We can be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18), quench the Spirit, be convicted by the Spirit (John 16:8), or grieve the Spirit (Revelation 2)
    • I Corinthians 11:27-34 those who ignore the conviction & correction of the Spirit will be chastened of the Lord (Hebrews 12:6)
    • Many saints have grieved the Spirit: Jacob, Samson, David, Peter, & even Paul (Acts 21)
  • We are commanded not to grieve the Holy Spirit                              
    • Every sin of thought & deed grieves (disappoints, shames, stresses) the Holy Spirit (an actual distressing)
    • The Spirit that seals us until our glorification is distressed when we show disobedience & ingratitude when we sin
  • The one person we don’t want to disappoint is the Spirit (not about us!)
• Internal Control
  • The greatest battle we face is within us
    • The moment you stop struggling against sin, you’ve lost
    • The battle lasts a lifetime (EPHESIANS 6:11-18)
  • There are ugly elements within us that must be controlled
    • Paul uses the imperative subjunctive mood = an urgent plea (short of “I command you to…”, but beyond “it would be nice if you did…”)
    • “Let all…” = a commandment you must obey on your own without others enforcing it upon you
      • No one has the power or authority to enforce it
      • Internal struggles are always solitary on the human level (Genesis 4:7 “…you must master it.”)
  • Put away bitterness
    • pikros (English, “prick”) – something that irritates, torments, aggravates continually (the burr under the saddle)
    • Being eaten away with jealousy, hurts, injustice, abuse, or some festering gnawing slight or inadequacy
    • We must turn irritations over to the Lord (I Peter 5:7)
  • Put away wrath
    • thumos (English, “thermal” & “temperature”) – to heat up
    • Control passionate outbursts (often from bitterness)
    • Romans 12:3 control of temper is paramount for testimony
  • Put away anger
    • orge (English., orgy – natural inclinations & longings) – upset, indignation, vexation, seething
    • Usually, a long term angst against something or someone (may stem from an actually hatred or perceived offense)
  • Put away “clamor” (loud argumentation or quarreling)
    • Outcry, boisterous combativeness, verbal attacks
    • krauge (a raven’s cry) – an onomatopoeia (sounds like____)
  • Evil speaking = blasphemy (to rail against, dishonor, or slander)
• With all malice (kakia, bad)– all wickedness (life speaks louder than words)
  • Malice is the motivational level (evil nature governing wicked intent)
  • Proverbs 25:28 Like broken city walls, so is the man with no self-control

KEY VERSE:

Ephesians 6:11-24 [New King James Version (NKJV)]

¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the [a]wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; ¹⁸ praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— ¹⁹ and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.