HeartSight – Seven Practices #5

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HeartSight – Seven Practices #5                     6-21-20

Bottom Line:  Since godly living is a relationship with God, what we do affects God. He loves us and wants us to stay faithful to Him.

Introduction:

 A. Humans make wrong choices and decisions! Part of life!

   1. Book & movie plots are built on folks making bad choices

   2. Snow White – don’t eat that apple! Bell’s Dad – don’t take that wrong turn!  Frodo – don’t go into the cave of Shelob (monstrous spider)! Harry Potter – don’t grab the Triwizard Trophy – a portal key!

   3. Joseph – don’t trust Potiphar’s wife! David – don’t go on the roof!

Judas – don’t take that bag of silver!

 B. Ever watch your children make a poor choice? Try to head it off when they are kids. As they get older, you have to let them!

 C. Dad in Luke 15 – let him go – waited for his return, but he hurt!

 D. Does God ever hurt for us? Love = hurt if it is real love! Yes he hurts!

   1. John 3:16 if full of hurt: for us, for Jesus, for our struggle to grow

   2. Look at Heb.5:11-14 and 6:1-3, please grow! But, vs.4-6 moves into disregard and lack of love for God and what He has done!

 E. Eph.4:17-24 principles of transformation! What does it look like?

   1. Practices or changes a transformed person makes: Authenticity, vs.25; Self-control, vs.26-27; Integrity, vs.28; Inspire, vs.29

   2. But what if we don’t live by these practices all the time? What does it mean about us and God? vs.30, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

 F. #5 is the practice of consistency – all the practices are a way of life!

1. Why is this a practice of consistency?

 A. “AND” means he’s talking about the other practices but primarily the need to INSPIRE with our talking.

 B. How is it “grieving”?

   1. MSG: “Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.”

   2. Grieving is hurting and disappointing God!

 C. Four commentaries with different ideas of what it means

   1. Sorrow and sadden = Tough thing to do to God

   2. Frustration and struggle = helping and guiding you, but ignored

   3. Irritated = upsetting God!

2. How do we grieve the Holy Spirit and/or God?

 A. Previous practices all deal with compromising godliness!

   1. Dishonest; 2. Angry and sin; 3. Lazy & stealing; 4. Rotten words

 B. Breaking God’s heart?

 C. “Take for granted” his grace and love

3. How do we make the Holy Spirit happy?

 A. Our life practices must match our life principles!

 B. We bear the fruit of the Spirit – Gal.5:22-25

 C. In Luke 15, we comeback, but we stay connected to our Father!

Conclusion:

A. Grief is a struggle. Involves hurt and regrets. Loss! Dying!

B. Who or what died in Eph.4:30? Godliness in us! Transformation?

C. Did you ever make your Mom cry? Your Dad? Terrible feeling.

D. Think about the Creator of all, grieving because of you?

E. Isn’t it ironic that He is the first to celebrate your death?

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Bible Study from: Seven Practices of a Transformed Life (5)

Sunday, June 21, 2020

1.  Can you think of some movies where you get stressed knowing that a main character is going to make the wrong choice?

2.  Do you remember a time in your life when your parents let you make the wrong choice? What about you with your kids?

3.  Is it possible to hurt God? How? Why?

4.  What does the practice of consistency have to do with grieving the Holy Spirit?

5.  What do you think it means to grieve the Holy Spirit?

6.  How can the previous four practices cause the Holy Spirit to grieve? (See verses 25-29)

7.  Is there a difference between grieving the Holy Spirit and disappointing God?

8.  What are some ways that we make the Holy Spirit happy?

9.  How important is it for our life practices to match our spiritual principles? Did Jesus ever talk about this?

10. Grieving is a gut-wrenching, emotional feeling and struggle. Does God really grieve because of us? Why? How?