You said, Lord, that when someone turns to the Lord, a multitude of sins are covered. And we wonder what the mighty power of the cross, what an ocean of sins have been washed away, have been covered. a multitude of transgressions by so many people, more than the stars without number or the sand on the seashore. We thank You, Lord, for such a great salvation, for being such a great Savior. And we exclaim with the multitudes in heaven, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive glory and honor and power and might and thanksgiving and blessing forever and ever. We feel, Lord, that we've just seen such a little bit. We've tasted only the streams on earth. We feel that we've seen such a little bit, but what we have seen, Lord, of Your glory and of Your goodness, what we've seen of Your power and purity, what we've seen of Your worthiness, Lord, we exclaim that we want more. And we anticipate the day of redemption when we shall sin no more, when sin will be banished. We ask You, Lord, arm us, equip us, strengthen us, prepare us to fight the good fight and to walk this world in white. Amen. I add to what the brother over here testified tonight that you all have loved me and treated me not just like a brother in Christ, but as though I were a member of this church here. You have shown me so much affection and attention, I told Terry, the only safe way out of this is to die. Mother Morrow preached today that we're already dead, so that's all right. If we look at Ephesians chapter four, Ephesians 4, verse 30, Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. There is a sister verse to this. Where is it, anyone? 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. There it reads just a little different. Do not quench the Spirit. I don't think there is much difference. I think really they mean the same thing. They just communicate a little different aspect. This one has more to do with personality and intimacy. The one in Thessalonians reminds you of fire and power. Here we have, Do not grieve the Spirit of God. Think of the uniqueness of this call and command. I mean, it's a reminder What we have in this business of Christianity is it's not just religion, but we're talking about a relationship with the Spirit of the living God. We're not talking about mere rule-keeping, but we're talking about a relationship with the living God. We're not talking about merely ethics, but a relationship with the Spirit of the living God. This business of Christianity, you know, we're not centered around ourselves, but we're centering around the Spirit of God. And the call is that every word and every thought and every deed and everything we do, everywhere we go, everything, every step we take, every penny we spend, we're thinking in terms of does this please or does this grieve the Spirit of God? The whole of our life, is centered around Him. It's the very heart of our sanctification. It is Him with whom we have to do. And we know that sin is painfully grievous to the Spirit of God. I think one of the most striking verses comes up early in the Bible in Genesis chapter 6, verse 6, where it says that God was sorry that he had made man and grieved in his heart. How can that be? God was sorry that he had made man and had grieved him in his heart. Another similar verse, Luke 19, where it says Jesus approached the city and he sought and he wept over the city. The Lord Jesus wept. It caused the sin, the unbelief, the insults, all of it caused the Lord Jesus to weep. I remember growing up on a farm in northeast Iowa. My father had farmed for about 35 years. And when my brother told my father that he didn't want to farm and I told him that I couldn't because of my allergies, He decided we'll sell it all. And so after the farm sale, my father and I were talking and he had given me instruction how to do something in preparation for the sale and I didn't do it. And he somewhat expressed his displeasure to me and I made some smart remarks. and walked off to my bedroom and I heard something that I'd never heard before. I left my father weeping and sobbing. If I'd have had any humility or compassion or sense about me, I'd have gone back and fallen on his shoulder and wept with him and said, will you forgive me, Dad? I can barely understand what you're going through. If that's the way that our earthly fathers think, how our heavenly Father must feel when we disappoint Him, when we grieve Him, when we come up so short so often. This call, this command, it's so distinguishing. It's so different. It's so very delicate. It's so very searching. The uniqueness of this call to not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Let's look at some reasons why we should not grieve the Spirit of God. Two main reasons. One is because of the person with whom we have to do. And the second main reason is because of the work, the work of that person. It says that we are not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God. And secondly, by whom we are sealed for the day of redemption. Let's think about the person that we're talking about here, the person that we are not to grieve. We want to know the nature of this person. You know, if we're dealing with this one, we want to know what he's like, right? You saw a roommate, a fellow moves in with you, And you don't know Him all that well and you get to know Him a little more and you say, excuse me, I didn't realize that displeased you. I didn't realize that is what you were like, in other words. And so we don't realize the things that make the Lord happy as we often start out to walk with Him. And so, this Spirit of God, I posit before you that He is a person. and secondly, that he is deity. Is that right? Is the Spirit of God a person or not? Some say not, that the Spirit of God is but a force. The Worldwide Church of God at least used to believe that. But we know that the Spirit of God is, in fact, is indeed a person. For one, he is distinguished from his power. It says in 1 Corinthians 2 that Paul says, My speech and my preaching was not with enticing words, but in a demonstration of the Holy Spirit and of power. Acts 10, God the Father anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power. The announcement was made to Mary, the Spirit of God will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. And so there is a distinction made between the Spirit of God and the power of God. Another reason is that those who know the Greek, they say that the pronoun is masculine. He will guide you. He will glorify me. The Spirit of God has a mind. It says in Romans, He who searches the heart knows what the mind of the Spirit is. The Spirit of God has a will. It says He distributes to each one individually just as He wills. The Spirit of God teaches. It says He will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. The Spirit of God guides. He will guide you into all truth. The Spirit of God speaks. Just as the Holy Spirit says, in various places that comes up. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The Spirit of God cries out. It says the Spirit of God has been, He sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts crying, Abba, Father. It's like this apparatus is put into this machine, and when it's put onto the end of this machine, why, it makes this certain noise. And so the Spirit of God has been sent into our hearts, crying out, Abba, Father. The Spirit of His Son, and we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit of God intercedes. We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us. The Spirit of God searches. He searches all things, even the depths of God, and reveals and strives. My Spirit will not always strive. The Spirit of God has emotions. It says in James that He who made the Spirit to dwell in us is jealous for us. And the Spirit of God affords us fellowship. The benediction at the end of 2 Corinthians, it says, the fellowship of the Spirit be with you always. Also, the Spirit of God is placed in combination with the apostles. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us. In combination with Christ, I will give you another Comforter. In combination with the Father, baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And what is the point that the Spirit of God is a person? What is the point we ought to get out of this? that we're dealing with a person indeed, not with a force, not with a machine, not with idols, not with rules, but with a person who can be tested, it says, who can be lied to, who can be resisted, who can be insulted, who can be blasphemed. We are dealing with a person in the Spirit of God, oh yes. He is sovereign, but nevertheless a person. And as any person can be grieved, can be disappointed, can be injured, can be saddened, can be distanced and disempowered by throwing water on the fire. I remember when Terry and I were married. It was so different. I've got this person here living with me. And so we have the Spirit of God living in our hearts. Leonard Ravenhill says, if I am a guest to the Spirit of God, I better be careful than for I take Him. A tender guest, symbolized not by an eagle, but by a dove. A very honored guest. And if he who speaks against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven. But if he who speaks against the Spirit of God, it will not be forgiven. And so, what a relationship we have with this person of the Spirit of God. with whom we are not to grieve. Secondly, that the Spirit of God is deity. How do we know? What are some proofs? Think of the divine honor that is given to him, again in juxtaposition with God the Father and God the Son. Thy divine virtues are attributed to him. Omniscience, it says in Isaiah 40, who has directed the Spirit of the Lord or who has been his counselor. It speaks of omnipresence. Psalm 139, where can I go from your spirit? And omnipotence. It says He distributes a gift just as He wills. He is eternal. Christ offered Himself up to the eternal Spirit. Think of that. And He is Creator. Job 33, the Spirit of God has made me. Think of the comparisons with deity. It says in Acts 5, why has the devil tempted you to lie to the Spirit of God? And next verse, you've lied not to men, but to God. And so on. What is the point? If the Spirit of God is deity, then he deserves supreme respect and supreme honor. I remember one time some of us were out on the campus doing some evangelism, doing some open air preaching, And I was trying to hold it forth. And then I saw the president of the college come walking down the sidewalk. And boy, you're tempted to tone it back. Here's somebody with some authority, with some honor, who can do some things. But here we are dealing with the Spirit of God, with Deity Himself. And so it behooves us, it obliges us to not grieve Him. Why should we not believe the Spirit of God? Because He is a person, because He is deity. Secondly, because of the work that He has done in us. It says, by whom we are sealed to the day of redemption. The Holy Spirit is the one who makes application, the application of redemption. You think normally of the Father appointing redemption in eternity past, the Son of God coming and accomplishing redemption. in time and then in the fullness of time, the Spirit of God applying redemption to those that have been bought by His precious blood. The Spirit of God applying redemption. For it is He who calls us and works in us this new birth. The Spirit of God who leads us and teaches us and who guides us and who comforts us and the Spirit of God who finally applies full salvation and redeems us and raises our body from the grave. But here the work that is mentioned is the sealing of the Spirit. There are different words describing that work, the anointing of the Spirit, the down payment and earnest of the Spirit, but here it is called, here it is mentioned, the sealing of the Spirit by whom we are sealed to the day of redemption. Well, the Spirit of God comes after regeneration. And there He stamps us, He seals us, He marks us with Himself, telling us that we, in fact, are children of God, bought with the precious blood and headed for glory. He puts His stamp on us like a rancher puts his brand on his cow and he says, You're mine. The Spirit of God came down with the Son of God there at His baptism and said, You are my beloved Son. And that's what He does to us. You're mine. Bought for the price. Sealed for the day of redemption. What a glorious gospel that we can be a Christian and we can know it. And we can be a son of God and know it. And so what a great work, powerful work, precious work, what a privileged thing to be called by the Spirit of God and then sealed for the day of redemption. Sealed for the day of redemption. all the way to the end. I thought we were redeemed already. Yes, we are. Our soul has been redeemed and our sins have been washed away, but yet that redemption is not complete. Not yet. Not until our body is raised. The Lord has come to save the whole man, the body and the soul. And so, we wait for the day of redemption when our body will be raised by His mighty power and fashioned like unto His glorious body. What a day it will be when we partake in full of immortality. That is shouting ground, isn't it? And so, we're looking at full redemption when the Lord brings in a new heavens and a new earth. And then, in that day, we will be confessed before the watching world, angels and men, that we are children of God. You know, it says in Romans 8, it talks about the manifestation of the children of God on the day of redemption. when our bodies are raised. The manifestation. Do you realize that the earth is shaking waiting for that great day? When you think of the earthquakes, there are two aspects to it. One is sins and the other is sons. You think about these earthquakes going on all around everywhere. Yeah, the world is loaded. It's groaning. It's burdened under the weight of sin, under the curse, under the weight of sin. But the other side of it is, it's nothing but birth pangs bringing forth the children of God. And in this day we're but strangers, but pilgrims. And the world, they put us off. They don't believe us. And the soul Christianity and the Christians, they are mocked, they are scoffed at, belittled and scorned. But there's a day coming in which the Lord will manifest His people. And He will show who they really are. You know, the car companies, they put out a new car. The movie people, they put out a new movie. They have their premiere showing. Here it is, you know. Well, it will be that way times a thousand for the people of God. God will bring them forth and show us, people of the watching world, this is mine. And here we are. Here we are. God will bring, I believe, those that we preach to, those that we witness to. He'll bring them before us and it says they will bow at our feet and they will know that God has loved us. And they will say, I should have listened to you. I mean, the saints will judge the angels. The saints will judge the world. The manifestation of the sons of God. Yes, what a day it will be. And so we've been sealed to the day of redemption. What is the idea here? What is the point? I used to think that it was saying we shouldn't grieve the Spirit of God because we might lose something of the Spirit of God. We might lose as much needed power. And that's all true, but that's not what's being taught here. What's being taught here is not the danger of losing anything, but rather the reality and the certainty and the privilege and the honor Not ever being able to do anything. It says we're sealed in the day of redemption. In other words, it's not talking about the danger, but rather it's talking about the dignity that we've been so favored, that we've been so honored, that we've been so privileged as to be sealed by the Spirit of God for the day of redemption. And we don't want to grieve the Spirit of God because that is so beneath our dignity. It is so unthankful. It is so unpitting. It's like a woman, it's like a bride on her way to the wedding. She's got this nice garment on and what a shame if she gets any spot on it. If we meet the dignity, it's such a shame. And so we don't want to quench the Spirit of God or grieve the Spirit of God because we've been given such a high calling. And we've been so blessed, so singled out. Will I sin against such love, such privilege, love so amazing and so divine? It demands my life, my soul, my all. Let's talk about some ways in which the Spirit of God can be grieved. Any sin, right? Any sin is a grievance to the Holy Spirit of God. If the Holy Spirit is holy, then sin in all of its forms grieves the Spirit. We're grieved when we let a fly in the car. I know my son Zach, he's going to college down there at Rollin. There's some friends he knows down there that rented an apartment. And they have trouble with a coon getting in their house. That causes some grief, you know. Well, how much more the Spirit of God. How much more sin is grievance to the Spirit of God. We can grieve the Lord by our deeds, right? Deeds of the flesh. It says in Galatians 5 that the flesh strives against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh. And so there is this tug going on, this warfare going on, this battle going on, this struggle going on, back and forth. And so, deeds of the flesh, deeds of sin, that grieves the Spirit of God. You find David having fallen into sin, having committed the iniquity that he did, crying out, take not your Holy Spirit from me. I don't believe that the Spirit of God, the seal of God, can be removed from a true saint of God. Nevertheless, we can lose the joy of the presence of the Spirit. We can't lose the salvation, but we can lose the joy of our salvation. There is out-and-out rebellion. It says they rebelled against him and grieved his Holy Spirit in the wilderness. Stephen, he reproved them. He said, you stiff-necked and uncircumcised of heart, you resist the Holy Spirit like your fathers did. There can be forms of lesser resistance. Not being sensitive to the Spirit of God in the matters of guidance. The Spirit of God said to Philip, go up and join yourself to this chariot. And so we know what it is to not be sensitive to the Spirit of God and miss His promptings. As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. The Spirit of God calling us to the place of prayer. Prayer at a time when He may be found. And you put it off, you put Him off, and you come back later and you don't have that reality and that intimacy that you know you could have had. The Spirit of God prompting us to read the Word of God. And instead we put her around the house and then we come back and we don't have the time. It's not real. We're too hurried and we don't get any sweet meditation. Procrastination. Our parents know. They know how they're grieved when the children procrastinate the same way with the Spirit of God. We can grieve the Spirit of God by our words, right? Right before this text. It's talking about rotten words, let no rotten word proceed out of your mouth. Right after the text, it's talking about bitterness and clamor and anger and things like that. Those are words that can grieve the Spirit of God. I think one of the things that grieves the Spirit of God the most is getting into strife, getting into arguments. There's a way of disagreeing without grieving the Spirit. And, oh, when we walk away grieved, don't you know the Spirit of God is grieved as well? Our words, I say, can grieve the Spirit of God. You know, Peter reproved Ananias. Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Spirit of God? That weaved in. One time, Mack and I were in a pastor's conference out east, and here's four or five hundred pastors singing at the top of their voice, and that fellow at the piano was very skilled, and it was just glorious. And I shouted, I shouted hallelujah real loud. A moderator told Matt, tell your friend to cease and desist. So, I did. But it sends you home wondering, have I grieved the Spirit of God? Or what's going on here? And so, our good can be evil spoken of. You know, these are things that are between the lines of the sacred page. So sensitive. So delicate. We're called to not grieve the Spirit of God. Our thoughts can grieve the Spirit of God. Our thoughts. I remember one time, well, I was converted about a year. I was about a year old in the Lord. I went down to visit somebody. Well, it was a nice summer day, and I'd overdressed. There was no need to wear a white shirt. And I got out of the car to go into the house to see this fellow, and I was just feeling good. And I had kind of a subtle thought in my mind, don't I look good? And you know, right about that time, a bird flew over and put one right down my collar. I'm saying our thoughts. Our thoughts can grieve the Spirit of God. But, you know, more seriously, you go back to Genesis and you know the cause of the Genesis flood. It was fantasizing. It was thoughts. Every imagination of the thoughts of their heart was only evil continually. Their thoughts brought on the Genesis flood in a sense. Wrong thoughts about the Spirit of God. Wrong thoughts about God. These are grievous. I mean, three times at least, the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth. And so, the Spirit of God, He likes truth. He likes right thoughts about God. He likes right doctrine. And the more true doctrine we can get a hold of, the more we know Him and the more pleased He is with our right thoughts of Him. You know how it is with a person. You get to know somebody and they say, well, I mean, you thought that about me? And so, think what God thinks about our thoughts of Him. We find out we've had doctrinal error and get it corrected like Fr. Morrow was talking about by, here I thought God was that way. Our conscience. You know, that's just another way about talking about our thoughts. And it seems like the Spirit of God is just and so intimate, so tied up with our conscience. Paul says, my conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit. And if your conscience is grieved, you can be sure the Spirit of God is grieved too. Our conscience, we ought to be sensitive to that. David's heart smote him one time. You know what was going on. In conclusion, this ought to be for our examination. I mean, All of what I said, it presupposes that you've been born again and the Spirit of God does dwell in you. That you have the Spirit of God. That you're a habitation of God through the Spirit. Is it so? It ought to be for our examination. But secondly, it ought to be for our exhortation. If we are Christians indwelt by the Spirit of God, it ought to be for our exhortation. We ought to just purpose in our heart. If we haven't right now, I mean, wherever we're at right now, let's just purpose in our heart. Lord, I want to be perfect in obedience. It says He gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him. Why have anything less? Why not have that be our deep heart attitude, our resolution, our resolve to be near to the Spirit of God, to be perfect in obedience? Sure we won't be. Sure, the way to heaven is one sin being revealed after another. Victory over that and then we go on and find another. But at least that ought to be our intent, to be perfect in obedience. To be sensitive. I mean, the least little thing can hinder the Spirit of God. The other day, I was walking down the lane and I noticed the water was built up on the upper side of the driveway I looked at this little culvert, this little pipe that we'd put under the road to drain the water from the top to the bottom, and here this little stick had gotten caught at the mouth of the pipe and leaves had gathered and so that had blocked the flow. One little stick, you know, one little sin, one little thing can grieve the Spirit of God and how it mounts up. Samson, he apparently didn't even know that the Spirit of God had left him. And so, it's a call for being very sensitive to the Spirit of God. We've been talking about grieving the Spirit, but you know it can grieve us. Sin grieves us too. I mean, without the Spirit of God, how tedious and tasteless the hours. I mean, it will lead to a defeated life. trudging around in this present evil world, a shortage of the joy of the Spirit of God. Not knowing the joy that we could have, not knowing the victory that we could have, not knowing riding on the high places that we could, singing the songs of Zion, the high praises in our mouth. It will lead to a defeated life, not knowing the fruit of the Spirit and the love that we could have. On the other hand, with the fullness of the Spirit, why is heaven on earth? It is a foretaste of the powers of the world to come. What sweet fellowship! What taste of heaven we have here on earth! And so the call here is to not grieve the Spirit of God, to be filled with the Spirit while we are able to talk, able to admonish. The prophet Micah says, I am filled with the Spirit of the Lord, able to Able to reprove and rebuke and exhort. With courage, with power. Able to minister a word in season. The words come easily. The words come naturally. The words come timely. A word in season to encourage the brethren. We ought to be men and women of the Spirit. The Lord Jesus was. He was conceived by the Spirit. He was led by the Spirit. He was baptized in the Spirit. He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit. He offered himself up in the Spirit. He was raised up by the Spirit. The Lord Jesus of Nazareth was a man that pleased the Spirit of God entirely. The Lord bless you.