Blaspheming, Grieving, and Quenching the Spirit

Please turn to Ephesians 4:29 and following.

What if I were to tell you I knew the secret of revival, what would you say?

Revival can be defined as when the Holy Spirit moves in power.

and it doesn’t mean He has to do it in unusual ways.

in fact, one of the best definition of revival I have heard is “an intensification of the normal operations of the Holy Spirit.”

how does the Holy Spirit NORMALLY move...

He convicts of sin (we talked about that)

He glorifies Jesus—so that people are converted born again

He advocates for us reminding us of our beloved Gospel identity

He empowers us for ministry so that we are more effective in reaching people with the Gospel

all through what theologians call the ordinary means of grace (preaching and teaching god’s Word, prayer)

yet God seems to intensify during unusual seasons to do more of it, faster, more intensely.

Think Jonah in the OT—He was reluctant to go to preach to the Ninevites, got swallowed by a whale, and then went. he preached a reluctant, un-creative sermon, and the whole city repents. Revival—an intensification of the normal operations of the Holy Spirit.

What is the key to revival?

Today, in our series on the Holy Spirit, we are talking about a very important question—really 3 questions...and one can be controversial...

Here is the question...what does it mean to Grieve the Spirit of God, Quench the Spirit of God, and even blaspheme the Spirit of God?

So Grieving...quenching...and blaspheming...

and how does that relate to revival?

Let’s look at the Grieving Question.

Turn to Ephesians 4:29. Ephesians 4:29. and following and please stand

the Apostle Paul is writing to the church at Ephesus.

chapters 1 - 3 is all about the Gospel.

and in chapter 4 giving really practical advice on how to live out the good news of Jesus Christ:

Ephesians 4:29–32 NIV

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

vs. 30 - says don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God...

What do we learn?

Grieving (Observations)

We learn that the Holy Spirit is a person (we have been saying this, but it’s a good reminder). The Spirit is not a force, or impersonal. but a person, because He grieves. forces don’t grieve. persons do.

The Holy Spirit cares about our sin and our lives

When we don’t live the way we should—He is not a God sending lightning bolts or rubbing it in our face, but He grieves. He gets sad. grief is in a response to a loss. the Holy Spirit is grieved that we are not living up to what we should be living up to with His power. we are missing out on His goodness, God’s goodness...

notice the context—-vs. 30 is in a context of not just sins against God, but against sins against one another. (context of sin against others!

look at it again

Ephesians 4:29–32 NIV

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (how many of us let unwholesome talk come out of mouths this week, it’s a type of speech that tore others down rather than built others up?) (How many of us did this either to someone’s face we went off on someone face to face and shouldn’t or behind their backs with Gossip?) 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. (bitterness, rage, anger, brawling (fighting horribly) slander, putting down people 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

so what is grieving the Holy Spirit—

Definition 1 - sin that offends not just God but others

Definition 2 -sin that doesn’t match our identity in Jesus

Ephesians 4:30 NIV

30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

sealed — the Holy Spirit has marked us, identified us—for the day He makes all things ne

Definition 3 - not living out the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5.22-23)

what’s our identity?

Ephesians 5:1–2 NIV

1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

so what is the secret of revival? how does this connect?

I have been promoting this book (on screen)

JD Greear says this: Unconfessed, secret, or willful sin deeply grieves the Holy Spirit of God and where it is cherished, the Spirit willnot be present. “Unconfessed sin, secret sin, willful sin, cherished sin.”

That’s what Ephesians 4:30 is getting at. that’s what grieves the Spirit of God. He doesn’t want us to live that way. it’s not living out the truth of our identity in Jesus—it’s hiding in darkness, not light.

on the opposite, we see in the history of revivals that confessing sin—brings massive transformation:

Throughout history, repentance of sin has always accompanied revival. For example, one historian records this pivotal incident that sparked the massive, country-transforming revivals in Korea of the early twentieth century (1903-1907): One of the Korean men — Mr. Kang — stood up, trembling, and said in barely more than a whisper, “I have something to confess. I have, for weeks, harbored an intense hatred in my heart for Mr. Lee, our friend and missionary. I confess before God and before you, and I repent.” The room fell silent. Did this man just publicly admit to hating the host of the conference? Every eye turned to Mr. Lee, to see how he would respond to this surprising admission. Mr. Lee was taken aback, and could not hide his own surprise. But he quickly answered, “Mr. Kang, I forgive you.” What followed was a scene that reporters later called “a poignant sense of mental anguish due to conviction of sin.” Men began to confess hidden sins, to weep over their sins, and to pray for forgiveness. The meeting, which was scheduled for a few hours, stretched on until five the next morning.9

Greear, J.D.. Jesus, Continued...: Why the Spirit Inside You Is Better than Jesus Beside You (pp. 200-201). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

I want to give you a moment, to just confess sin to the Lord.

to say it how it is—to agree with God. to bring it into the light

just you and the Lord

and pay attention especially to sins that have hurt others, conflict, bitterness, unforgiveness—who do you need to go to right now and reconcile and make amends? don’t wait. hurry.

we looked at grieving...

let’s look at quenching...and turn to 1 Thess. 5:19-22 for this—please stand...

1 Thessalonians 5:19–22 NIV

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.

A few thoughts about quenching..

What is quenching?

the idea of quenching is the idea of putting out a flame. (extinguish is the idea, suppress it, stifle))

what is being stifled or extinguished...

look at vs. 20—

1 Thessalonians 5:20 NIV

20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt

so what is going on at Thessalonica? Apparently, the church, the body of Christ is putting down prophecies.

What are prophecies? they are special words, revelations from God given to people who have the spiritual of prophecy. I have argued before in a previous sermon a long time ago in Acts—that the spiritual gift of NT prophecy today is different than OT prophecy. In OT prophecy, the prophet would say “thus saith the Lord” and it was perfect revelation (like Jeremiah, Isaiah, Daniel). but in the NT prophecy, the spiritual gift—a christian gets some type of immediate revelation from God, and then proclaim it, shares it; the revelation is always perfect, but the interpretation or application may not be. so it’s a little different...for some of us...

and so most likely at Thessalonica, that spiritual gift of prophecy is being abused, this is why they are putting it down, despising it.

and Paul says don’t despite it—don’t go that far—that’s one extreme...

but instead in vs. 21 “Test them all...hold on to what is good.”

weigh and evaluate prophecies in the body of Christ to make sure they line up with God’s Word and are valid.

so what is quenching?

It is putting out the fire of the Spirit of God by suppressing spiritual gifts in the Body of Christ.

One author suggests at least 2 ways we quench the Spirit of God (John Piper)

despising the supernatural work of God (that’s what’s going on at 1 Thessalonians with the spiritual gifts...while it’s good to test all spiritual gifts and be discerning, sometimes we can be so critical and judgmental we quench the Spirit’s Work.

neglecting the spiritual gifts we have - look at what Paul writes to Timothy

1 Timothy 4:14 NIV

14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

2 Timothy 1:6 NIV

6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame (that image is the opposite of quenching) the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

fan into flame—the opposite of quenching...it’s allowing the Holy Spirit who is like fire to work through you, even though it’s a little scary, a little mysterious, feels sometimes out of control. Apparently Timothy struggled with allowing God to fully do this in his life....

now, I think quenching and grieving are very related. You could talk about we quench the Spirit’s fire when we grieve the Spirit—not living out the fruit of the Spirit.

so how does this relate to revival—that intensification of the normal operations of the Holy Spirit...

you might say the opposite of that—we fan into flame the Spirit’s power when we:

—confidently live out our gifts to the glory of God—even if it scares us

—and allow others to as well

this doesn’t mean we are not discerning—we are to test the prophecies. sometimes gifts can be abused certainly!

but if the Holy Spirit is like fire...the Bible says here..

or like wind—then He is a little mysterious; a little out of control; He is power.

but how have you been suppressing the work of the Spirit:

are you living out the gifts God has given you to the glory of God (Or suppressing them?)

do you have an openness to God moving in normal ways and abnormal ways? the supernatural?

what would it take to fan into flame instead of quenching...

and last but not least blaspheming—turn to Mark 3...

Mark 3:20–30 NIV

20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” 22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.” 23 So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. 28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” 30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

What is Blasphemy against the Spirit?

Before I answer it, this is one of those questions that over the years, I hear occasionally from people.

because they are worried—did I blaspheme against the Spirit? Did I commit what some call the unforgivable sin?

It’s often people that have a sensitive conscience, worried they committed it, and now won’t be forgiven by God.

this question is sometimes asked with great terror—will I ever be forgiven?

Here is what I would say: Blaspheming...

If you are worried you have committed it, you haven’t. because a person who has committed it, wouldn’t care. They wouldn’t care about their sin. They wouldn’t care about God. They wouldn’t be humble or broken or repentant. So be assured. that’s not you.

I think blasphemy of the Spirit is persistent, willful, and final rejection and unbelief of Jesus. (often despite the obvious evidence)

look back at our passage - the teachers of the law see Jesus doing his miracles, casting our demons. and instead of saying very obviously—Jesus must come from God. Jesus is God!

Instead, they are accusing Jesus of basically doing his miracles and casting our demons by the power of Satan.

and Jesus says in verse 23—that doesn’t make a lick of sense. a kingdom divided against itself will not stand.

instead Jesus pictures himself in verse 27—-as entering the strong man’s house (Satan), tying him up, plundering him. Jesus is the all-powerful one who defeats Satan.

so Jesus utters in vs. 28—look at it again

Mark 3:28–30 NIV

28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, (that’s good news praise God!) 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” 30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

these teachers of the law have Jesus obviously staring at them in the face—and His miracles, but have hearts that are hardened. instead of giving Jesus glory-they accuse him of working with Satan.

That’s blasphemy of the Spirit—because the Spirit is clearly pointing to Jesus. remember we said the Spirit has a spotlight ministry—look at Jesus, go to Him, run to Him. instead, they are resisting and rejecting that.

this is why blasphemy of the Spirit is persistent, willful rejection and unbelief in Jesus (especially in spite of obvious evidence)

i think a related passage is in Acts 7:51—when Stephen is on trial for following Jesus. Here is what he says to his accusers:

Acts 7:51 NIV

51 “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!

Acts 7:52–53 NIV

52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— 53 you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”

God had miraculously provided for them, sent his prophets, and they still resisted.

so persistent, willful rejection and unbelief of Jesus

Here’s the 3rd thing I would say

3. I don’t think a true believer can commit blasphemy of the Spirit.

so if you are worried you have committed it; you haven’t.

Remember Jesus’ words

John 6:40 NIV

40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

Jesus doesn’t qualify it and say unless you have committed blasphemy against the Spirit! no, if you have a soft, humble heart, a broken heart that hates sin, gets saddened by sin, and has trusted in Jesus—and continues to look to Jesus—be assured. this not you.

4. It is possible that someone here is on the path of blasphemy.

I say “possible...” because I don’t think we know if anyone has finally committed it until they die. As long as you and I have breath, as long as we know people who are resisting, as long as they have breath, there is still hope.

you see I think this blasphemy of the Spirit applies to... two types of people:

A. someone who has never believed or accepted Jesus — maybe you have resisted, never wanted to be a Christian. Think followers of Jesus are weird, or think Jesus is weird. This could be you.

B. someone who proclaims to have been a Christian but is no longer

Hebrews 6:4-6 talks about that latter person. This is pretty scary language:

Hebrews 6:4–6 NIV

4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

strong language! It’s dangerous to fall away—whether you were saved once and lost it or never had it—the result is the same.

I can’t declare here today if you have committed it, because I won’t know until you die, and Jesus is the ultimate judge.

but there is an urgency if you are in one of those 2 categories, confess your sin to God, repent, turn from it, and trust in Jesus.

we have been talking about revival:

grieving - opposite of it—would be confessing sin, repenting—living in the truth

quenching - allowing the Holy Spirit to supernaturally work, in surprising ways, testing it, allowing spiritual gifts but testing

blaspheming - asking the Holy Spirit to so move in power that people as long as they still have breath would come back. We don’t know who has fully resisted Him. If you are here today, feeling Him move, don’t resist Him.

What is the final thing He wants you to do today?

pray a prayer of revival? God can do more in a few moments, than entire generations when the Spirit is moving. Help us not to grieve, but gladden the Spirit; help us not to quench or extinguish but fan into flame the Spirit of God, and help us not to blaspheme the Spirit or give up on people (only you know) may you radically change people in such a way that they will look to you for everything they need.