Forgiving (Grief)
Notes
Transcript
Intro: Grief
Grieving the Spirit->God’s forgiveness through Christ->Our forgiveness of others (remove slander, etc. be kind, etc.)
INTRO
INTRO
ILL: The loss of a child (greatest fear in life)
Grieving the Holy Spirit
Grieving the Holy Spirit
Definition
To cause sorrow or extreme emotional pain
suffering, sorrow
The cognitive and emotional process of working through a significant loss. The removal of anyone or anything that has emotional value to an individual will precipitate a grief reaction. (J. A. Larsen, “Grief,” ed. David G. Benner and Peter C. Hill, Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology & Counseling, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), 519.)
ILL: Grief is like the healing process after surgery. It’s painful (sometimes more so than the injury).
Without grief, emotional hurt cannot heal—EXPLORE: Does the Spirit need to grieve when we hurt God’s feelings?
Jesus’ grief
Jesus wept
OT
is a callback to
Psalm 106:33
Opposite of 4:13, maintaining the unity of the Spirit
Grief evidences that the Spirit of God is not an impersonal force. “the idea of “grieving” is a “powerful personal metaphor” meant to remind believers that God can be pained by His children.”
Derek R. Brown, Miles Custis, and Matthew M. Whitehead, Ephesians, ed. Douglas Mangum, Lexham Research Commentaries (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2013), .
Intro: Grief
Definition: pain and sorrow; to grieve over someone vs. to grieve someone (to cause grief, uncommon usage)
Depth: to lose a parent; to lose a spouse; to lose a child; to suffer a broken heart (infidelity, abuse, abandonment, etc.); betrayal by friends and family.
Problem: We grieve God’s Spirit (30)
And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him for the day of redemption.
Ref — God is grieved by Israel’s dispossession of the land and the destruction of the temple.
Ref — God is grieved by Israel’s dispossession of the land and the destruction of the temple.
We think God is too big to be hurt
But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he became their enemy and fought against them.
We think God is too big to be hurt
Do you understand the extent to which we can pain God, that Paul uses the phrase, “don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit?”
Do you understand the extent to which we can pain God, that Paul uses the phrase, “don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit?”
Solution: We are forgiven (32)
And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.
God goes before us to give us forgiveness.
God goes before us to give us forgiveness.
The Holy Spirit secures us.
We pained God and instead of God returning wrath on us, He delivered that wrath to Jesus on the cross and in the separation from God on the days that followed.
Problem: How we grieve God’s Spirit
Not through sin, necessarily
Through division in the church (29-31)
No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear. And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice.
Dividing from leaders
Dividing from leaders
Dividing from the body
Dividing from each other
EXH: Assembling (Church) is not a preference, it’s a calling.
We are called to belonging—foreshadow
Problem: Divisions are caused by how you speak
foul language lit. ‘words that cause decay’ (29)—not bad words per say
Speech
No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear.
anger and malice (31)
anger and malice (31)
Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice.
Sickened by church splits and churches closing their doors—100% of the time its from a lack of unity—slander, gossip, anger, malice, deceit, bitterness, angst
Sickened by church splits and churches closing their doors—100% of the time its from a lack of unity—slander, gossip, anger, malice, deceit, bitterness, angst
Sickened by church splits and churches closing their doors—100% of the time its from a lack of unity—slander, gossip, anger, malice, deceit, bitterness, angst
Church mergers kill churches as often as church splits, because people cannot sacrifice to become one.
Solution: kind, compassionate, forgiving (32)
The solution to church division is intentional pursuit of kindness, compassion, and forgiveness on everyone’s part.
And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.
Problem: division is caused by a lack of unity in the church, particularly a unity of speech.
Problem: division is caused by a lack of unity in the church, particularly a unity of speech.
Problem: division is caused by a lack of unity in the church, particularly a unity of speech.
lacks edification
lacks agreement (church membership)
Solution: imitate Jesus (32)—as God loved us and forgave us for grievous sins—when we pained him so....Jesus paid the price for our sins.
And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.
When a fellow Christian hurts you, the answer is not to divide, but to reconcile and forgive.
When a fellow Christian hurts you, the answer is not to divide, but to reconcile and forgive.
Sometimes reconciliation and forgiveness will require sacrifice and cause greater pain for you.
Sometimes reconciliation and forgiveness will require sacrifice and cause greater pain for you.
ILL: Church mergers kill churches as often as church splits, because people cannot sacrifice to become one.