In the second part of our look at the last four verses of Ephesians 4:29-32, we want to look at what breaks God’s heart.\u00a0 Today’s focal verse is verse 30 which says, “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”\u00a0 I really enjoy the Christian music group Casting Crowns.\u00a0 They write some of the most powerful songs because they come straight from Scripture.\u00a0 There is one song that has somewhat recently been released titled “Jesus Friend of Sinners.”\u00a0 We will sing that song, Lord willing, on October 21st as part of our Youth Sunday.\u00a0 There is a line in the chorus that says, “break my heart for what breaks yours.”\u00a0 Do we understand what breaks God’s heart?<\/p>\n
As we begin to break apart verse 30 we need to ask ourselves, who is Paul talking to in this verse?\u00a0 Based on the overall context of Ephesians 4:17-32 being a contrast of our old way of life versus the new life Christ has given us, we can say that Paul was specifically speaking to Christians when he said “and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God.”\u00a0 So the next question to ask would be, what does it mean to grieve?\u00a0 In the Greek, the word is “lupeo” (loo-peh’-o) which means to make sorrowful or to have a heaviness of heart.\u00a0 The next logical question is, how do Christians make God sorrowful or have a heavy heart?\u00a0 The simple answer is that we break God’s heart when we do not live in a manner that reflects that God has given us a new heart and a new life.\u00a0 In other words, when we sin we bring sorrow to God.\u00a0 Have you ever bought something for someone and you were really excited about it and couldn’t wait to give it to them, and then when you did give it to them they didn’t seem all that grateful or as excited as you thought they would be?\u00a0 How did that make you feel?\u00a0 I imagine God probably often times feels the same way with His children.\u00a0 He sent His Son to pay a price that we owed, but God paid that price so that He could give us a wonderful gift that we didn’t deserve.\u00a0 Then we go out and instead of living thankfully for what God has done for us, we want to do things our way.\u00a0 It is like a parent buying something for a child and the child saying, “but I don’t want that one, I wanted this one.”\u00a0 When we do this we grieve God.\u00a0 Not only did God purchase this gift with His own blood, and offer it to everyone, but it also promises that once you receive it, He will never take it away (ye are sealed unto the day of redemption).\u00a0 Then we go out and act like we never received the gift or that we are ungrateful for the gift.\u00a0 May we be sensitive to sin and truly pray for our heart, “break our hearts for what breaks yours.”<\/p>\n
By His grace and through His strength, may we live for Him!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the second part of our look at the last four verses of Ephesians 4:29-32, we want to look at what breaks God’s heart.\u00a0 Today’s focal verse is verse 30 which says, “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, … Read More