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The sermon presents the Holy Spirit as a divine Person whose eternal love is shown through conviction, comfort, sanctification, and preservation. The Spirit seals genuine believers unto the day of redemption and provides inward assurance of adoption and inheritance. Believers grieve Him through cherished sin, corrupt conduct, neglected prayer, and neglected Scripture; churches may likewise experience spiritual barrenness through collective disobedience and indifference. Spurgeon therefore calls for urgent repentance, renewed prayer, earnest fellowship and ministry, and obedient submission to the Spirit’s call to believe in Christ.
Theological center: The personal Holy Spirit indwells and seals believers, lovingly comforts and sanctifies them, and is grieved by persistent sin without finally abandoning God’s people.
Applications: Do not grieve the Spirit · Repent and return · Persist in prayer · Yield to the Spirit
Primary texts: Ephesians 4:30 · 2 Corinthians 1:22 · Romans 8:16
“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30 THERE is something very touching in this admonition, “Grieve not the holy Spirit of God.” It does not say, “Do not make Him angry.” A more delicate and tender term is used—“Grieve him not.” There are some men of so hard a character, that to make another angry does not give them much pain, and indeed, there are many of us who are scarcely to be moved by the information that another is angry with us, but where is the heart so hard that it is not moved when we know that we have caused others grief?— for grief is a sweet combination of anger and of love. It is anger, but all the gall is taken from it. Love sweetens the anger, and turns the edge of it, not against the person, but against the offense. We all know how we use the two terms in contradistinction the one to the other. When I commit any offense, some friend who has but little patience, suddenly snaps asunder his forbearance and is angry with me. The same offense is observed by a loving father, and he is grieved. There is anger in his bosom, but he is angry and sins not, for he is angry against my sin, and yet there is love to neutralize and modify the anger towards me. Instead of wishing me ill as the punishment of my sin, he looks upon my sin itself as being the ill. He grieves to think that I am already injured, from the fact that I have sinned. I say this is a heavenly compound, more precious than all the ointment of the merchants. There may be the bitterness of myrrh, but there is all the sweetness of frankincense in this sweet term “to grieve.” I am certain, my hearers, I do not flatter you when I declare that I am sure that the most of you would grieve, if you thought you were grieving anyone else. You, perhaps, would not care much if you had made anyone angry without a cause, but to grieve him, even though it were without a cause and without intention, would nevertheless cause you distress of heart, and you would not rest until this grief had subsided, till you had made some explanation or apology, and had done your best to allay the smart and take away the grief. When we see anger in another, we at once begin to feel hostility. Anger begets anger, but grief begets pity, and pity is next akin to love, and we love those whom we have caused to grieve. Now, is not this a very sweet expression—“Grieve not the holy Spirit”? Of course the language is to be understood as speaking after the manner of men. The Holy Spirit of God knows no passion or suffering, but nevertheless, His emotion is here…