Upon learning of my dad’s homosexual lifestyle in 1989, I was struck with sadness and confusion. When I learned that he claimed to be a born-again Christian while practicing this rebellious and sinful lifestyle, I became grieved to the core. To grieve is defined as “a deep and poignant distress caused by or as if by bereavement.” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grief I have also experienced grief because of my own actions such as losing my temper, becoming irritated, or being impatient. These “lessor sins” are still acts of the flesh and do not reflect a life that is walking with the Lord. The most impactful grief I can think of is grieving the Holy Spirit of God.
Grieve Not God - The Scripture
Ephesians 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:7 19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But ye have not so learned Christ; 21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.8 25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil. 28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.9 29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.10 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians is a letter written to believers where the Apostle Paul admonished believers to not act like the world. Rather, we are to put off our old lifestyle, to be renewed in our mind, and to walk in His holiness. This is his perfect will for us. We should not lie, be filled with anger and wrath, steal, or use foul language. These things grieve the Lord. Additionally, he repeats the statement that we should put away anger, wrath, and evil speaking. When a statement is repeated in the Bible (especially in the same context) it is a statement that should grab our attention. We need to be kind-hearted and not “idiotic.” We should have a tender heart, forgiving one another. Not holding up wrath. Forgiving each other.
Grieve Not God - False Christs
I was in Chicago recently and heard a man yelling at the tops of his lungs on a street corner. I had my Bluetooth headset on so I quickly removed it so I can, perhaps, hear a man preaching the gospel. Nope – he was not preaching; he was cursing out another man. About a minute later, this angry, wrath-filled potty-mouth got on his phone and was laughing and being quite pleasant. Imagine if he was a deacon or church leader or someone claiming to follow Christ. This is not unrealistic; it happens all the time. Wrathful, hateful, and spiteful people filled with venom claim Christ as Lord all over the United States. Friend, this is nothing more than a farce. The Christ they confess is a false idol; a figment of their imagination. It grieves the Lord for a person to use His name like this.
Grieve Not God - The Believer
It’s one thing for a sinner to walk in the flesh and act like a gentile. But a sure way to grieve the Lord is for a believer to walk in the same anger and wrath as a sinner does. One can make a good argument that a person walking in such defilement is not a Christian at all. Let’s assume this person is a believer and that they are having a very difficult day. They lost their job, they stubbed their toe, their car broke down, and they were robbed while waiting on a tow truck. The last straw that triggered this believer is that a foul-mouthed punk decided to insult his wife. Anger begins to boil, and wrath starts to overflow the emotions. What happens next? The believer vents a few uncharitable words to the punk and avoids a physical altercation.
While bypassing a brawl is good, the fact that the believer reacts as an unbeliever disturbs the Lord. It grieves Him. The Lord provides the believer with all the tools required. Faith, the Word, Salvation, Righteousness, and the Holy Spirit and yet we fail. Yes, he had a bad day. But when we give place to the devil and we grieve the Spirit of the Lord.
Don't Do It
Ephesians 4 also confronts stealing and lying in this passage. Again, he is speaking to believers that we need to stop doing these things. Why did he mention it? Perhaps it was because this was happening in the early church. If you cheat, you are lying about your actions. If you steal, you covet and then act on your covetousness by taking what does not belong to you. If you lie, you are no better than the devil as he is the father of lies. No liar has any part of the kingdom of heaven. And yet, at times our flesh tries to covet, steal, cheat, or even lie. “No, I don’t,” you may say. Yes, you do. Have you ever exceeded the speed limit? Your flesh wants to cheat. Have you ever justified sin? Your flesh wants to lie. Have you ever noticed a pretty woman? Your flesh wants to covet.
The scripture provides us the solution to our rebellion-bent flesh. Don’t do it. “Put off the old man” and be renewed in the Spirit. Put on the new man! Stop lying. You can be righteously indignant but that’s it. Don’t give place for the devil. Stop stealing and get to work. Stop swearing. And DO NOT GRIEVE THE LORD. Yes friend, stop it. You must not only put on the Lord Jesus Christ; you must put off the old man and his desires. You must leverage the self-control that the Lord has endued you with.
Enough!
Enough with the excuses. Enough with the laissez faire mentality. Enough with the lazy, loosie-goosy, limp-wristed, sloppy agape. Stop with the pretexts. If you really want something, you will make it happen. If you want to feed your flesh, play games, go to movies, or just lay around doing nothing, you will move heaven and earth to ensure it happens. If you want a new widget, you make it happen. If you want a new computer, you make it happen. But when it comes to walking with the Lord; when it comes to not walking as the Gentiles walked; when it comes to walking with Jesus, you have nothing but excuses.
Friend, the truth is you really do not desire to walk with Him and you are giving place to the devil. And this grieves the Spirit of God.
