Tag: Pride

What Grieves the Holy Spirit?

Posted on by

When it comes to grieving the Holy Spirit, where do we start? We are so disappointing to God at times. Let’s take a look at these grieving actions, starting in Psalm 78:

Forgetting God: “They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them” (Psalm 78:11). God freed the Israelites from captivity, parted the Red Sea, provided bread in the desert, and led His people to a prosperous land. “In spite of all this, they kept on sinning” (Psalm 78:32). God lamented, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15). But “you deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth” (Deuteronomy 32:18).

Grumbling: “They spoke against God” (Psalm 78:19). Daily, God provided the Israelites with the “bread of angels,” but they weren’t satisfied and whined for more. Their complaints made God “exceedingly angry” (Numbers 11:10).

  • Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses, God’s appointed leader. “The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he left them,” and Miriam became leprous (Numbers 12:9).
  • When God allowed the Israelites to glimpse the glory of the promised land, they grumbled about the great size of the people instead of being grateful for the great size of the grapes. God sighed, “How long will this wicked community grumble against me?” (Numbers 14:27).

Disobedience: “They did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by his law” (Psalm 78:10). “Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel” (Psalm 78:41). The Israelites’ repeated disobedience saddened God. “How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions?” He asked (Exodus 16:28).

Disbelief: “They did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance” (Psalm 78:22). Ten times God is described in Psalm 78 as being angry, grieved, or vexed. Disturbed by their lack of faith, God cried, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them?” (Numbers 14:11).

God’s Old Testament warning, “do not grieve the Holy Spirit,” is repeated in the New Testament in Ephesians 4:30, but the emphasis is different. In the Old Testament, grieving the Spirit was connected to the people’s response to God. In the New Testament, grieving the Spirit also includes our response to one another in the Body of Christ. Paul explains this in Ephesians 4:29–32 when he illustrates how we can keep from grieving the Spirit:

  • Avoid unwholesome talk
  • Build others up rather than yourself
  • Share
  • Rid yourself of bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, and slander
  • Be compassionate

The consistent goal of the Spirit in the New Testament is that we achieve unity by maintaining right relationships with one another and using our gifts to serve the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12–13, John 17:23). Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:3, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit.”

But the church in Jesus’ day lacked both service and unity, due in large measure to the ruling religious sect, the Pharisees (literally meaning “the separated ones”). By Jesus’ day it appeared that the Pharisees had set themselves apart because they secretly believed they were spiritually superior to others. Jesus called them vipers, fools, and blind guides. Stephen included them in his description of those who “always resist the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51).

Why was God so upset with these leaders? The reasons should be of concern to us because we grieve the Holy Spirit if we are guilty of these same sins.

Pride: The Pharisees demanded seats of honor at public events. They loved the esteem of the people and being called “Rabbi.” They expected to be served, rather than to serve. Jesus exposed their arrogance in a parable that portrayed a Pharisee as boasting, “God, I thank you that I am not like all other men” (Luke 18:11).

Self-effort: The Pharisees trusted in their good works to make them righteous, rather than in God. They erroneously believed they could achieve spiritual blessing through the effort of the flesh.

  • Jesus said, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” (John 3:6).
  • “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength” (Jeremiah 17:5).
  • “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Scripture condemns all self-effort and warns us to beware of our tendency to act independently of God. “Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” (Galatians 3:3).

Resistance to the Spirit: “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt” (1 Thessalonians 5:19–20). Guilty on both counts, the Pharisees doused the flames of the Spirit by attributing Jesus’ works to Satan (Matthew 12:25–32) and thumbing their noses at the Scriptures concerning Christ.

Hypocrisy: The Pharisees were spiritual leaders with no Spirit. They professed to know God yet they failed to recognize His own Son. They put demands upon others they were unwilling to accept themselves.

  • Jesus warned, “Do not do what [the Pharisees] do, for they do not practice what they preach” (Matthew 23:3).
  • “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs . . . on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness” (Matthew 23:27–28).
  • Jesus’ final analysis was sad: “These people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me” (Mark 7:6).

Legalism: Intellectualism was the god of the Pharisees. Consumed with order, tradition, and doctrine, they so immersed themselves in the study of God’s Law and the explanation of it that they ended up missing God Himself! When the Pharisees scolded Jesus’ disciples for failing to wash their hands before eating, Jesus rebuked them, “You nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition” (Matthew 15:6).

In their zeal for theological correctness, the Pharisees reduced religion to a purely intellectual exercise, effectively squelching the Spirit and eliminating responses of the heart.

  • As a result, their hearts were hardened (Mark 3:5).
  • Jesus said angrily, “Woe to you . . . you have neglected the more important matters of the law —justice, mercy and faithfulness” (Matthew 23:23).
  • Paul, himself a Pharisee, recognized the dangers of legalism and rightly warned, “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6).

Grieving the Spirit carries serious consequences:

  • The actions of the Israelites grieved the Spirit, and God withdrew His protection and fought against them (Isaiah 63:10, Acts 7:42–43).
  • The attitudes of the Pharisees grieved the Spirit and they were condemned to hell (Matthew 23:13, 23:33).
  • The most common result of grieving the Spirit in the Old Testament was simply that He left. Prior to Pentecost, the Spirit was given to selected individuals for a temporary period of time. That is why David, who experienced the coming and going of the Spirit in his own life, pleaded in Psalm 51:11, “Do not . . . take your Holy Spirit from me.”

Today, the Spirit works differently. When we mean business with God, the moment a person comes to Christ, he is immediately sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13–14, John 14:16). We don’t question our eternal destiny or doubt God’s intentions toward us (1 John 4:16). The Spirit does not leave us, but if we grieve Him, He may temporarily withdraw fellowship for a time until we come back on track.

God prefers that we are continually aware of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence and sensitive to how deeply sin affects Him, and us. It is good to understand the biblical theology of grieving the Spirit. It helps when we are able to feel God’s sorrow over sin, but the surest way to avoid grieving the Spirit is to know Him and walk in a moment-by-moment, love relationship with Him.

Money and Materialism

Posted on by

The Bible has a lot to say about money and materialism. Jesus spoke more about wealth and riches than heaven or hell. It seems that the way we respond to wealth is a good indication of our priorities. Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also (Matthew 6:21). The heart follows our treasure; the treasure never follows the heart.

Quotes:

Money will buy a bed but not sleep, books but not brains, food but not appetite, finery but not beauty, medicine but not health, luxury but not culture, amusement but not happiness, a crucifix but not a Savior, a temple of religion but not heaven. — Anonymous

It is not the persecution of China that I fear. The church has always been able to weather persecution. My fear is the love of money in the church. — A Chinese Pastor

You are rich if you had a meal today. –Billy Graham

Top 10 Warnings of Materialism:

  1. You subtly resent giving your tithe in church.
  2. You need to work overtime just to buy the latest fashions.
  3. You find it difficult to give generously to your friends and family.
  4. You constantly talk and think about money.
  5. You secretly want others to admire your possessions.
  6. You like to show off your best toys.
  7. You label people who are poor as being lazy or unmotivated.
  8. You pride yourself in buying only the best products.
  9. You respect wealthy people and value their opinions more than the opinions of others who are less well off.
  10. You extend yourself to help others only when it profits you.

I Have Set for You an Example

Posted on by

This is lesson four in my class on the words of Jesus. To see the others, click the “notes” tab above and choose the lesson you want to see.

At the Heart of it All Today: Parables, other teaching and the foot washing episode emphasize the role of servanthood in the life of a disciple. Jesus promises eternal rewards to those demonstrating self-denying love for others.

Key Term: Servant; Jesus cast himself in this role and he demands we do the same. In a world were status is everything, Jesus turns the world’s value system upside down.

Key Verse: Matthew 10:39, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

A Hundredfold Investment: (Matthew 19:27-30)

  1. The rich young ruler just walked away and Peter responds to Jesus’ statement about rich men entering the kingdom of heaven. There is an obvious contrast since the disciples have given up much to follow Jesus.
  2. Peter was not really accurate by saying they gave up “all” to follow Jesus; he still owned a house (Mark 1:29) and a boat (Mark 3:9, 4:1), but he is correct that they have given up on a comfortable life with security.
  3. One’s true family – while it is great loss to leave one’s family, new friends are made along the path of a disciple, ones that share the same values and goals. There is fellowship (koinonia) that at the root means to share a common life.
  4. Receiving back a hundredfold – not really a material investment but a spiritual one. From a material investment, faith is a poor risk, but from an eternal perspective, all things are possible with this ultimate long-term investment.
  5. The term palingenesia is translated “new creation,” “new order of things,” “renewal” or “regeneration.” It is only used here in the gospels. Paul used it in Titus 3:5 to refer to the individual believer’s spiritual renewal. So, in the new world, things will be radically different. Those who gave up all in this life will see a radical difference in the next.
  6. Judging the twelve tribes of Israel – this is quite a shocking statement for the twelve. They will have positions of authority in God’s kingdom, much like the rich young ruler had in this life. No one would have guessed these men where “ruling” material, but Jesus sees potential in people.

The “No Seniority” Story: (Matthew 20:1-16)

  1. The Old Testament often describes Israel as a vineyard (Matthew 21:33-46, Psalm 80:8, 14, Isaiah 5:1-2, Jeremiah 12:10, John 15:1). Jesus is not nationalistic, but focuses on individuals who make up this new kingdom.
  2. The land owner is God – calling people to work in the vineyard. The workers from the start of the day expected a day’s wage.
  3. The eleventh hour – literally “at the last minute; before sunset.” The men were not lazy guys wasting the day; they just had not been hired yet. They wanted a job and the owner was generous with payroll. Those who worked all day were grumbling at his generosity; literally it means, “Is your eye evil because I am good?” Maybe the beginning of the phrase, “give him the evil eye.”
  4. The target audience – often the Jews since they did not believe the Gentiles were welcome in the kingdom. The grumblers may be similar to the older brother in the Prodigal Son. Jesus is likely warning the disciples they are not privileged characters in the kingdom just because they were called first (Matthew 19:27). Those who follow Jesus should not be so concerned with place, position or rewards. Do we serve God for what we get out of it, or do we serve him because he deserves it and it is the right thing to do?

Not One of Us: (Mark 9:38-40)

  1. This passage comes immediately after Jesus telling the disciples that striving to be the greatest was wrong, and that service to others was what mattered. John, a part of the inner circle, declaring that this other man was “not one of us” may be an indication that they had an inflated opinion of themselves. After a failed exorcism in Mark 9:14-29, they complain that this power was showing up in someone else; in one not officially a part of the group.
  2. Tolerance may be the lesson; not like today where beliefs don’t matter, but be willing to accept others who have the same goal. John wanted to narrow the circle while Jesus says it is ok to widen it.
  3. This is quite similar to Matthew 12:30 (he who is not with me is against me) but Jesus’ meaning is different. One cannot remain neutral toward him; each person must decide to follow or oppose Jesus. In Mark, (whoever is not against us is for us) refers to the disciples being accepting of others who do good work for Christ.

Sisters with a Difference: (Luke 10:38-42)

  1. This story follows the Good Samaritan, who also put love into action. Perhaps the point in pairing these two stories is that while doing good deeds is commendable, we are not saved by doing good works.
  2. Martha wanted everything just so, and Jesus gently scolds her. She had too many irons in the fire, and probably was not enjoying Jesus’ visit too much. The “one thing” probably meant “one dish” for a meal, but with a deeper meaning. Martha’s desire to serve was commendable but she could have served one dish to spend more time with the Master.
  3. Mary at Jesus’ feet – contrast to the rabbis looking down on the intelligence of women. Women had a vital role in the early church.

Duty Above All: (Luke 17:7-10)

  1. The is a story of a farmer with a worker who serves I the field and in the house, too. At the end of the work day, he cannot just sit down and have dinner, there is inside work to be done, he is still on duty and cannot expect to be thanked for doing his duty. A human master can make demands, and so can God.
  2. This can be directed at people who take pride in their accomplishments for the Lord. When Christ-followers lead a godly life or do good works, they are not going above and beyond the call of duty, but rather this is what is expected on earth and we should not expect praise.
  3. This is in the face of the Pharisees, who had a system of rewards and merit, which Jesus discounts. There is no call to boast in our service of God. We are his servants, not his peers.
  4. Main theme is God’s grace – when a disciple has done all he can for the kingdom, he has no right to expect salvation, but only accept it as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 3:27, 11:35).

The Lowest Form of Service: (John 13:4-8, 13-16)

  1. A clear and straightforward story but also not understood by the disciples at the time. In those days there were no facilities to take full baths every day, so they did what I call, “a bird bath.” Attention was given to the exposed parts, which was the task of a slave; a humiliating work for the lowest of slaves. Here, doing this act was one of love and devotion.
  2. This undignified act was setting the disciples up for an even more humiliating and undignified event, the crucifixion.
  3. Wash feet or have no part of me – “part” is literally “inheritance” or “heritage” which may indicate Peter would not share in the joys of heaven. Peter reacts to the foot-washing in the same way he objected to the prediction of Jesus’ suffering. Jesus knew that suffering and humiliation are the roads to glory.
  4. Roles are reversed in this scene. To accept this is to embrace a new order where humility is honored over vanity and pride. The twelve had been arguing about who had precedence. Jesus emphasized that greatness consisted of servitude.
  5. Key point often overlooked – Jesus does this act of service and love for people who would in the matter of hours desert him and run away; being a devoted servant to those who will prove to be disloyal. Also, Judas was present; can it be that this was an act of forgiveness, and him telling them to “do likewise” was a reference to the disciples forgiving Judas because it is what he had to do to fulfill prophecy?

A New Commandment: (John 13:34-35)

  1. Jesus may be gone soon, but the love he has shown them will live on. They already had a few commandments like loving their neighbor as themselves (Leviticus 19:18), now they are to love others as Jesus loves them. This love will be distinctive of a Christ follower.
  2. This command must have made a deep impact on John, since he writes about it in his gospel and returns to the theme in his letters (1 John 3:11, 16, 4:19, 2 John 1:5).

Disowning the Master: (Matthew 10:32-33)

  1. There is a picture of a believer being dragged into court to testify of his devotion to Jesus, but the image is wider to any word or deed where one denies their faith. He is addressing lukewarm believers, those who are half-hearted. Pharisees love the praise of men more than the praise of God (John 12:42-43). Paul was not ashamed of the gospel (Romans 1:16) and encourages Timothy to not disown Christ (2 Timothy 2:12).
  2. Disowning Jesus is not so words of denial, but of missed opportunities, not speaking up when the situation calls for it. Actions may deny him as well, hypocrisy is an appropriate term. We would not be studying the Bible of following Jesus if it was not for those in the first century who stood up of their faith.

Forgetting Everything but God: (Matthew 10:38-39)

  1. The ultimate paradox: to possess life we must give it up. Some men would commit sin to keep on living (situation ethics). This phrase of Jesus might be a reference to Leviticus 18:5, “Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord.” Like, God wants you to live, so sinning in order to keep on living is not wrong. Losing earthly life was not the worse thing that could happen.
  2. Too many jewelry crosses around the necks of those who don’t stand for Christ (Madonna, anyone?). In New Testament times, people did not need gold crosses, they saw real ones every day. It was a barbarous form of execution used on slaves and rebels. So, the believer might not only die a martyr’s death, but die with the lowest form of execution possible.
  3. Today we are to deny self, use self-discipline, and live for Christ more than ourselves (Galatians 2:20).

A Cup of Cold Water: (Matthew 10:40-42)

  1. Jesus words of the cross are balanced with a promise of reward. He is speaking to the disciples, the ambassadors for the faith, similar to 2 Corinthians 5:20 (see Ephesians 6:19).
  2. This water symbolized hospitality. While the world would harass, harm and kill people of faith, there are those who will stand up and offer kindness. Each act of compassion makes a difference. God will not forget your work of helping his people (Hebrews 6:10) and whatever you do for the least of these, you do it for Christ (Matthew 25:40).