The Grief of the Holy Spirit Ephesians 4:25-32

-Bitterness in the Body of Christ grieves the Holy Spirit

Perhaps you've seen the many social media posts (on Facebook, Instagram, etc), claiming that it is illegal to lock your car doors in the town of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. But is it true? Well, yes and no ... 

“There is no current law in place in Churchill that requires residents to not lock their vehicle doors,” Paul Manaigre, a spokesman for the RCMP in Manitoba, the province that Churchill belongs to, told AFP by email.

But the claim is grounded in some truth. Churchill, population 900, is known for frequent polar bear visits when the ice on the nearby Hudson Bay melts in the warmer months. 

According to Manaigre, “It is common knowledge that polar bears may enter the community at any time, and those that may need to seek shelter from a polar bear can use a vehicle, as most people will leave them unlocked for this purpose.”

“It’s just a common practice to leave your doors open. I never lock my car doors in my personal vehicle,” Erica Gillis, a research technician at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, told AFP. 

She explained that this custom is partly due to the polar bear threat, but also because Churchill is a remote, isolated community not accessible by road. “There aren’t many roads other than the main street,” Gillis added.

There is an estimated population of 935 polar bears in the western Hudson Bay area, where Churchill sits. As a response to the frequent bear visits, the town established a polar bear alert program. A team tranquilizes the animals if they enter town and takes them to a polar bear holding center, known by locals as the polar bear jail.

Thanks to the program, the Manitoba town has not had a bear-related fatality since the early 1980s.

These people live differently, on purpose!

I. Pursue the Good of Others vv. 25-29

This week we are closing out our look at this call that is put in front of us, to walk in the Holy Spirit

In this passage, Paul gives us some instructions as we live as the people of God

We must remember that we are “members of one another”

In Christ, we are called to be a part of one body. Our actions have a profound impact on others!

Paul gives us four primary commands to consider here, for our life in the Body of Christ:

Speak the Truth v. 25

Paul gives a contrast here between falsehood and truth

When our lives and words are filled with lies, the Body of Christ suffers!

A body that cannot communicate truthfully, that sends wrong signals, cannot thrive. If my hand is burning but my brain does not receive a signal of pain, I will not remove my hand from the fire; this is why the truth is so important

Beware of Anger vv. 26-27

We need to be careful with what Paul says here. “Be angry and do not sin” is not an invitation to anger but a warning about anger

When we are angry we are living in a dangerous position and we must take care:

Do not let anger serve as a license to sin, because you are out of control

Do not let anger linger, because its impacts will go much farther than you suspect

Do not let anger open a door to your heart, because the devil will take any opportunity he can to introduce destruction into your life

Live Generously v. 28

Next, we see a warning about theft

On the surface, this is self-explanatory. Stealing is openly hurtful within the Body of Christ. I think, however, we need to go even deeper to the root causes

Why do we steal? It is the growth of a desire, from jealousy, to envy, to theft!

James 1:14–15

[14] But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. [15] Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (ESV)

In contrast to this, the Christian ought to live generously

Instead of looking for what I can take, I should be looking for what I can give

I ought to work hard to contribute by my honest labor to the welfare of someone else

This is a God-centered and others-centered way of living

Speak Words of Grace v. 29

Fourth, we see another invitation: we must set aside “corrupting” talk

In its simplest sense, these are words that tear down

This includes profane or blasphemous speech, but it goes much farther than that

If our lives are marked by gossip, slander, or accusation, we are equally guilty of corrupting speech

Instead, we are to speak differently as believers:

We speak words that edify the Body of Christ

We speak words that are timely. They fit the occasion

We speak words that give grace to the hearer; these are words that are a gift from God. They are His mercy poured out in the life of another

On April 15, 2019, thousands of horrified Parsians and tourists looked on, many with tears in their eyes as Notre Dame was on fire. Many of us remember watching the fire as well, seeing flames shoot into the air and rapidly spread over the Gothic building’s roof, known as “The Forest” because of its long planks of 800-year-old wood.

The next day, the French President vowed to rebuild the edifice within five years. While many thought a complete restoration would take decades, five years later, the historic renovation is nearly 90% complete. 2,000 oak trees were sourced from forests around Europe for the rebuild. Some of them are up to 400 years old. They were left to dry for 12 to 19 months before the carpenters used them. The estimated cost was $760 million. As of April 15, 2024, 340,000 donors from more than 150 countries have donated around $895 million. 

II. Stop Grieving the Holy Spirit v. 30

All of this gets summed up in a staggering caution from Paul: Do not grieve the Holy Spirit

All of this interpersonal sin has a high cost; I cannot love God if I do not love my brothers in Christ

There are three truths here:

The Holy Spirit relates to you in a personal way. Your behaviors and attitudes have consequences

The Holy Spirit may be grieved in that relationship. My poor behavior can cause God to grieve

This kind of sin puts me at odds with the redemptive work of the Holy Spirit:

He has sealed me for the day of redemption and will fulfill His work

He unites us together in Christ; these sins divide us from each other

A life that grieves the Spirit is the opposite of a life that is lived in step with the Spirit

There is something very touching in this admonition, "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God." It does not say, "Do not make him angry." A more delicate and tender term is used—"Grieve him not." There are some men of so hard a character, that to make another angry does not give them much pain; and indeed, there are many of us who are scarcely to be moved by the information that another is angry with us; but where is the heart so hard, that it is not moved when we know that we have caused others grief? —for grief is a sweet combination of anger and of love. It is anger, but all the gall is taken from it. Love sweetens the anger, and turns the edge of it, not against the person, but against the offense. 

-Charles Spurgeon

III. Put Away Anger and Embrace Grace vv. 31-32

Paul gives us a few final instructions: Put away your anger

All of the emotions listed here are our normal responses when we do not get our way.

I think it’s interesting that Paul does not give us an exception here for when people deserve our anger; He just tells us to put our anger away, along with all that comes with it

This kind of grace has a sacrificial cost

However, we can offer this kind of grace because we have received grace at a sacrificial cost

God, in the sacrifice of Christ, has forgiven us

All we are asked to do is to give to others some of what we have received from the Lord

Acting this way, as an agent of grace, will keep us in step with the Spirit!

What are you doing that causes the Spirit grief?

What do you need to resolve it?

Do you need to confess sin that you have committed against someone else?

Do you need to offer forgiveness to someone who has wronged you?

Do you need to seek reconciliation with the Lord?

A childhood accident caused poet Elizabeth Barrett to lead a life of semi-invalidism before she married Robert Browning in 1846. There's more to the story. In her youth, Elizabeth had been watched over by her tyrannical father. When she and Robert were married, their wedding was held in secret because of her father's disapproval. After the wedding the Brownings sailed for Italy, where they lived for the rest of their lives. But even though her parents had disowned her, Elizabeth never gave up on the relationship. Almost weekly she wrote them letters. Not once did they reply. After 10 years, she received a large box in the mail. Inside, Elizabeth found all of her letters; not one had been opened! Today those letters are among the most beautiful in classical English literature. Had her parents only read a few of them, their relationship with Elizabeth might have been restored.