1 00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:11,520 Hi and welcome to the Via Zion Sermon podcast. 2 00:00:12,040 --> 00:00:14,840 We are a local church based here in Chennai, India. 3 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:18,640 We are so glad you are with us and hope that this will 4 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:22,040 encourage, inspire and instill fresh faith in you. 5 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:27,360 We begin our new year with the theme for the year 2024, which 6 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:30,920 is set apart. We look at how each of us who 7 00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:35,000 follow Jesus can live lives that are consecrated and separated 8 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:39,760 for Him, both privately and publicly, with His help and 9 00:00:39,760 --> 00:00:43,000 leading. We pray that as you listen, you 10 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:47,520 would be challenged to live such a life of victory and peace. 11 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:51,400 Hello everybody. It is good to be back. 12 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:54,600 Feels like it's been a while, but I am grateful to be back and 13 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:58,040 sharing with you today. We are in the middle of our 14 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:01,440 series called Set Apart. That's our theme for this year 15 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:04,120 and that is the theme for the starting sermon series as well. 16 00:01:04,879 --> 00:01:09,560 You would have heard Gershom and Tina share on this theme the 17 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:13,120 past couple of messages and today I am sharing about being 18 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:18,560 set apart by the Holy Spirit. So that is what the focus of our 19 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:20,960 message is today. I'm going to go ahead and say a 20 00:01:20,960 --> 00:01:23,880 word of prayer, and then we will get on with it. 21 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:29,120 OK, Father. We thank you, as always, that we 22 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:33,120 can come to you. We come to you right now, Lord. 23 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:37,160 And I ask you, Lord, that you would give me the words to 24 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:40,880 speak. I know that people are hearing 25 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:43,840 and I want them to hear from you, Lord. 26 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:47,880 So I ask that you would give me the words to speak. 27 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:53,000 Give me the words to speak that are right, that are true, that 28 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:57,720 are meant for the people that are hearing me and hearing this 29 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:04,760 message, Lord. So, Father, we trust that you 30 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:08,800 will speak, Lord, that it is not anything that I have conjured 31 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:12,080 up, Lord, but it is something that is from you to your people. 32 00:02:13,640 --> 00:02:15,680 So thank you for speaking to your people, and thank you for 33 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:20,320 giving me the words to speak. And Lord, as always, we 34 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:23,400 remember, Lord, the people around us, the people across 35 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:26,880 this world that are not able to gather as we are, that are not 36 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:29,480 able to be in community as we are Lord, because of the 37 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:32,760 situation they're in, because of governments and powers that are 38 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:36,200 under Lord that prevent them from gathering and worshipping 39 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:38,960 you, Lord. But we ask that you would change 40 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:42,960 the situations, that your Kingdom would continue to be 41 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:45,560 established in those areas, but then that you would bring a Time 42 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:50,240 Lord where people can gather in the safety and security in 43 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:55,200 peace, Lord, and that they can worship and praise you once 44 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:59,080 again. Lord, we trust that what do you 45 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:03,200 want will be spoken here and that this is from you to your 46 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:05,640 people. In Jesus name we pray. 47 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:07,560 Amen. Yep. 48 00:03:07,920 --> 00:03:11,720 So sticking with our team of being set apart, the focus today 49 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:18,640 is being set apart by the Holy Spirit to kind of talk on that 50 00:03:18,640 --> 00:03:20,880 focus. The passage we're going to and 51 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:25,080 read today is Ephesians chapter 4, verse 17 all the way till 52 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:27,800 Ephesians 5, chapter 5, verse two. 53 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:33,160 So this is a passage for today. I will approach this passage in 54 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:35,480 three sections or three chunks, OK? 55 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:38,480 And then I will read each section and then we'll talk 56 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:39,880 about it and move on to the next one. 57 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:44,160 One thing to understand is through these verses, through 58 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:46,680 these sections, there is a sequence here. 59 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:49,080 Paul is like building an argument. 60 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:54,040 So the first part kind of deals with your old self, your old 61 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:58,480 life. The middle part kind of deals 62 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:02,480 with how you came to your new life, how you are no longer your 63 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:05,080 old, but you're new. And then the third section deals 64 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:07,360 with now that you're new, what now, right. 65 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:09,240 What does that mean to your current life? 66 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:13,720 That you're new. But I also want you guys to look 67 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:16,560 at these passages through the lens of our theme, which is set 68 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:19,440 apart. So the first section could be 69 00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:21,320 what life was before we were set apart. 70 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:26,480 The middle section is we are set apart, we are called to be set 71 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:28,800 apart, and then we are set apart because we have we are in this 72 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:30,760 new life, therefore we are set apart. 73 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:33,560 And the third section can be looked as. 74 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:36,120 Now that we are set apart, what does that mean to us? 75 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:39,120 What does life look like now that we are set apart? 76 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:42,680 So this is the kind of lens through which we want to view 77 00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:45,480 this passage, all with the lens of being set apart. 78 00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:51,440 So I'm going to read the first section, verses 17, all the way 79 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:55,160 to 19. So I tell you this and insist on 80 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:59,520 it in the Lord that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, 81 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:01,240 in the futility of their thinking. 82 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:04,600 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from 83 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:08,800 the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to 84 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:12,520 the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, 85 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:17,560 they have given themselves over to the sensuality as to indulge 86 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:22,000 in every kind of impurity. And they are full of greed. 87 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:27,160 And the first thing I want to draw attention to is like Paul 88 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:31,720 or scripture is not giving us like this cheap Christian 89 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:34,240 advice. It's not something like this is 90 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:36,400 my opinion. You can take it or leave it 91 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:40,040 here. It's very clear that Paul is 92 00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:43,120 giving us instructions. Scripture is giving us 93 00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:45,320 instructions. Instructions that are not an 94 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:46,640 option where they take it or leave it. 95 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:49,040 Instructions that are to be followed, OK. 96 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:51,600 Instructions that when followed would lead to life. 97 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:54,360 So first thing to keep in mind, these are instructions being 98 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:57,640 given to us so that we can follow these instructions. 99 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:03,680 So, and as we look at the first section, we see that Paul 100 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:06,720 focuses a lot on thinking, right? 101 00:06:06,840 --> 00:06:11,240 He talks about thinking in our old set before we set apart. 102 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:14,920 Our thinking was futile, right? Our thinking did not lead to 103 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:17,800 anything. Our thinking was darkened. 104 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:21,080 So all this was before we were set apart and as a result of 105 00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:24,120 that darkened thinking or that futile thinking right? 106 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:27,840 All our actions was very self focused. 107 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:30,960 All our actions were to gratify our self. 108 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:34,160 All our actions were selfish in a sense. 109 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:39,200 So this futile thinking thinking that really leads to nothing, 110 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:43,080 beneficial thinking that has no end, right? 111 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:45,760 Futile meaning doing something without really any result. 112 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:51,200 So this useless thinking right kind of leads to actions that 113 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:54,440 are fully bent towards self, that are fully self focused, 114 00:06:54,640 --> 00:07:02,040 self gratified right? And it is the way he ends it, 115 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:04,680 right in the NIV it says they were full of greed. 116 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:08,880 It kind of misses the mark a little bit, I think, to get a 117 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:11,200 better saying of what he really means, you can look at another 118 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:13,840 transition like ESV or most other transmissions kind of get 119 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:16,560 this. It talks about how it's not full 120 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:20,120 of greed per SE, but it's an attitude of greedily they 121 00:07:20,680 --> 00:07:26,560 pursued impurity. So it is they pursued these 122 00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:29,840 selfish actions with greed. Not that they were full of 123 00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:32,480 greed. So like in our old self, in the 124 00:07:32,480 --> 00:07:35,080 futility of our thinking, this was our state right? 125 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:40,360 The actions that we pursued were all to gratify our self and 126 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:43,400 then. But keep in mind this idea of 127 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:47,720 thinking right kind of stems from this futile thinking right 128 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:52,360 from our mind that is not renewed as we will see in the 129 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:56,200 next passage. So now this is verse 20 till 24. 130 00:07:57,080 --> 00:08:01,200 That, however, is not the way you learned when you heard about 131 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:04,600 Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that 132 00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:08,040 is in Jesus. You were taught with regard to 133 00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:12,120 your former way of life, to put off your old self which is being 134 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:15,880 corrupted by its deceitful desires, to be made new in the 135 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:20,320 attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self created to 136 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:24,880 be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 137 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:30,040 In this next section we kind of get like this, very emphatic, 138 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:35,200 very pronounced start from Paul. It kind of difficult to bring it 139 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:38,559 across in the English, but what I read is that the best way to 140 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:42,400 say it is like but you this is not how you learned Christ. 141 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:46,240 It's probably very emphatic way to look at it. 142 00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:49,200 He is telling them, reminding them this is not how you 143 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:52,880 learned, as in the description he made of their old self is not 144 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:55,000 how they learn Christ. What they learn in Christ is 145 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:58,280 that you put on in yourself, your mind is renewed. 146 00:08:58,560 --> 00:09:02,920 So and because of your mind is renewed, you put on your new 147 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:04,880 self. He's also probably trying to 148 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:08,520 remind them of the moment that they were set apart, as in when 149 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:12,320 they chose to follow Christ, as in when they heard the gospel 150 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:14,040 and accepted it and chose to follow Christ. 151 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:16,760 It's reminding them of that moment, the pivotal moment in 152 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:20,840 their life where they became set apart, where God set them apart. 153 00:09:21,920 --> 00:09:26,000 Now, again, the focus on the mind, the mind being renewed, 154 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:27,240 right? The attitude of our minds, the 155 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:33,120 mind being renewed so that that affects the actions that come 156 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:39,520 after. Now we see the old self, or 157 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:43,320 before we are set apart and we see the act of us being set 158 00:09:43,320 --> 00:09:47,200 apart, putting on our new self. So we are set apart now, and now 159 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:50,080 we move on to this section, kind of like, OK, we're set apart. 160 00:09:50,280 --> 00:09:53,120 What now? They said this is verses 25 all 161 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:54,880 the way till chapter 5, verse two. 162 00:09:56,520 --> 00:10:00,880 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak 163 00:10:00,880 --> 00:10:04,480 truthfully to your neighbor. For we are all members of one 164 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:07,920 body. In your anger, do not sin. 165 00:10:08,560 --> 00:10:12,720 Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not 166 00:10:12,720 --> 00:10:17,320 give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing 167 00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:22,240 must steal no longer, but must work doing something useful with 168 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:25,520 their own hands, that they may have something to share with 169 00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:28,120 those. Indeed, do not let any 170 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:31,480 unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is 171 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:35,000 helpful for building others up according to their needs, that 172 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:39,400 it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy 173 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:43,160 Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of 174 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:46,000 redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, 175 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:50,240 anger, brawling, and slander, along with every form of malice. 176 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:54,200 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other 177 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:57,960 just as in Christ, God forgave you. 178 00:10:58,880 --> 00:11:02,200 Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children and 179 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:06,640 walk in the way of love. Just as Christ loved us and gave 180 00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:11,600 himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God, 181 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:17,280 Now that your mind is renewed, your actions are to change. 182 00:11:17,520 --> 00:11:19,760 And so we're moving on to the actions right now. 183 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:25,080 Paul gives us a list of do's and don'ts here. 184 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:28,280 It seems like A and, but it's not an exhaustive list. 185 00:11:28,280 --> 00:11:34,880 So this does not contain every single action that would set us 186 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:37,720 apart. It does have a good many of them 187 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:42,400 that we can judge our actions against us to see now what our 188 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:44,080 what a set up our life looks like. 189 00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:49,040 But it's not an exhaustive list. Now also, again, these are 190 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:51,520 commands. These are instructions that we 191 00:11:51,520 --> 00:11:55,280 are to follow, not opinions. And just because it's not 192 00:11:55,280 --> 00:11:57,760 exhaustive doesn't mean that it's not binding or anything 193 00:11:57,760 --> 00:12:01,400 like that. It is a list of commands that we 194 00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:03,360 are to follow. A list of instructions that we 195 00:12:03,360 --> 00:12:07,480 are to take heed, right, And that inform what our life that 196 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:13,080 is set apart looks like. So we start out with do not lie 197 00:12:13,080 --> 00:12:16,440 and speak truthfully to your neighbour, right so. 198 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:20,200 Speaking truth to people in our community so this idea of 199 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:24,240 speaking truth and not lying is set in the context of our 200 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:27,480 community. Truth builds up. 201 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:34,000 Our community lies and deceit. They tear it down so. 202 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:36,520 Truth. Truth binds us together. 203 00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:41,160 Lies divide us. So first thing is speak the 204 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:46,000 truth. Do not lie and we will add some 205 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:49,920 more clarity on to speaking the truth when we go and read verse 206 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:56,080 29 because they're connected. Next we move on to in your anger 207 00:12:56,080 --> 00:12:59,600 do not sin right. So anger is an emotion that we 208 00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:04,920 all experience that we all feel. Some of your translations may 209 00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:08,280 say be angry and do not sin or sin not right. 210 00:13:08,440 --> 00:13:13,200 When it says be angry, it is not a command to be angry. 211 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:17,880 It's not a command to stay in the state of anger all the time, 212 00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:22,080 right? The in this case, when it says 213 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:24,880 in your anger, right, That's more the tone of this. 214 00:13:24,880 --> 00:13:28,440 If you are or if you happen to be angry, do not sin. 215 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:36,840 Again, the focus here is really not on anger itself, but on sin. 216 00:13:38,680 --> 00:13:43,160 Anger is an emotion that has a high tendency to lead to sinful 217 00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:46,800 action. So it's not that you can't be 218 00:13:46,800 --> 00:13:48,600 angry. Sure, we experience anger. 219 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:52,800 There are situations in our life that we experience anger, but we 220 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:56,000 are called to deal with that anger quickly and deal with it 221 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:59,600 in a way that does not lead to any kind of sinful action, 222 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:03,000 right? So deal with your anger and deal 223 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:06,160 with it in a way that you do not sin. 224 00:14:06,720 --> 00:14:10,480 So the focus again is not on the anger per SE, but the focus is. 225 00:14:11,680 --> 00:14:15,560 Anger has a tendency to lead to this, so be careful and deal 226 00:14:15,560 --> 00:14:23,240 with it quickly. Now next one is very pretty much 227 00:14:23,520 --> 00:14:27,600 straightforward, right? Do not steal work. 228 00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:32,120 So acquire things the right way. Do not take something that 229 00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:34,520 doesn't belong to you. If you want something, work for 230 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:37,520 it and acquire. So do not steal work, but also 231 00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:39,640 in what you receive from your work. 232 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:41,160 Share with the people around you. 233 00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:48,160 Share with those who need it. OK, now we come to verse 29. 234 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:53,560 I'm going to read it out again because it has some words that 235 00:14:53,560 --> 00:14:56,440 are very useful for us. It says do not let any 236 00:14:56,440 --> 00:14:59,680 unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, right, But only what 237 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:03,120 is helpful for building others up according to the needs that 238 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:09,720 it may benefit those who listen. OK, so there's a good list of 239 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:11,720 expectations here for our speech. 240 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:14,880 Our speech is supposed to be wholesome for building up, not 241 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:17,040 for tearing down to benefit the hearer. 242 00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:19,120 Right. Full of grace based on their 243 00:15:19,120 --> 00:15:21,160 needs. Timely right? 244 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:23,480 These are other words that some of your translations might be 245 00:15:23,480 --> 00:15:24,360 using. Right? 246 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:32,400 So speaking to somebody else, right, Is for building them up, 247 00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:34,720 right? So in this case, when we talk 248 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:42,440 about speaking truth, right? Speaking truth is not this free 249 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:45,480 licence to speak whatever you think is true. 250 00:15:45,640 --> 00:15:48,720 As in, let me give you a silly example, but it can be true. 251 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:53,760 I find my neighbour annoying. To me it's true that I find him 252 00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:55,680 annoying, so I'm going to tell him that he's annoying. 253 00:15:56,160 --> 00:15:59,720 That is not the idea of speaking the truth that we have, right? 254 00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:04,480 So it is not that and wholesome and for building up doesn't also 255 00:16:04,480 --> 00:16:09,680 mean that we hold back things that should be set, truth that 256 00:16:09,680 --> 00:16:15,840 needs to be spoken. It is prayerfully and with 257 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:21,640 discernment, finding the best finding or being LED to share 258 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:25,480 things in the right way, share things in a way that the hearer 259 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:28,840 can listen so that it can lead to building up. 260 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:32,320 Right. So we get a good example when 261 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:35,560 Jesus is talking to the Samaritan woman, right? 262 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:39,400 She gets some water and then she says I have no husband. 263 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:41,640 But he reminds her, no, that's right, you haven't. 264 00:16:42,880 --> 00:16:46,080 It's not that you have no husband, it's you have 5, right? 265 00:16:46,160 --> 00:16:53,000 He spoke the truth, but you're not in a demeaning way, right? 266 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:56,640 He did speak the truth, but it was fully out of love, right? 267 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:01,120 And when he spoke the truth, the response, right, it built her 268 00:17:01,120 --> 00:17:03,600 up. And many around her came to know 269 00:17:03,600 --> 00:17:07,760 that who he was, they were exposed to the truth because of 270 00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:10,200 the truth that he shared with her and the way in which he 271 00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:13,079 shared, she was open to it and built her up, and it brought 272 00:17:13,079 --> 00:17:19,760 people around her to Christ. So this is not to say again that 273 00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:23,319 we can say whatever we think is true and just get it out or we 274 00:17:23,319 --> 00:17:25,800 hold back when we do need to speak, right? 275 00:17:26,040 --> 00:17:31,720 It is prayerfully considering how to speak truth to someone so 276 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:35,040 that when they hear it, it is for building and not for tearing 277 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:38,960 down, so that when they hear it, it is grace in their lives, 278 00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:40,880 right? It is wholesome for them. 279 00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:48,600 And so that's kind of how we want to view speech in our 280 00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:50,680 Christian community. And also when we speak truth, 281 00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:55,280 how we want to view that. Now Next up is verse 30. 282 00:17:57,840 --> 00:18:00,720 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit. Praise the seal for the day of 283 00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:04,360 redemption. I will come to this at the very 284 00:18:04,360 --> 00:18:06,040 end. OK, so I'll circle back to Do 285 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:09,960 not grieve the Holy Spirit. The next one is get rid of all 286 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:13,280 bitterness, rage and anger and brawling and slander along with 287 00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:17,520 every kind of malice. You know, many of these things, 288 00:18:17,520 --> 00:18:20,800 if you think about it, are results of anger, right? 289 00:18:20,800 --> 00:18:23,480 When we are angry and it goes unchecked, that can be 290 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:26,240 bitterness, that can be rage, that can be brawling, That can 291 00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:30,000 be slander, right? And many of these, in terms of 292 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:33,560 anger also have to do with our speech or our uncontrolled 293 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:36,160 speech. Speaking things do hurt. 294 00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:42,040 So these said things that we are not to be part of, these are 295 00:18:42,040 --> 00:18:44,840 things that are not part of our life that is set apart. 296 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:49,200 So and again here you see anger is under the thing of get rid 297 00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:51,560 of. So again, it is not something we 298 00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:54,760 try and hold on to, right? If you're angry, that's OK, but 299 00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:57,920 it's something that we are working to get rid of it, for it 300 00:18:57,920 --> 00:19:01,120 to not be a constant part of our life. 301 00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:06,880 So these things that mentioned here do not belong in this life 302 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:13,720 that is set apart. Now after these lists of kind of 303 00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:18,120 like do nots, we move on to very important lists of dues, right. 304 00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:23,000 And the main things that I mentioned that we do need to do 305 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:26,080 is we need to be kind and compassionate, we need to 306 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:31,400 forgive others and we need to walk in sacrificial love, right. 307 00:19:31,680 --> 00:19:36,400 If if we focus on the dues, many times the don'ts kind of just 308 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:40,000 line up and kind of go out the door when we are kindly, 309 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:42,880 compassionate right? Is can. 310 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:46,040 When we are angry, will that lead to sinful action? 311 00:19:46,160 --> 00:19:50,560 Very unlikely, right? When we forgive, can we hold on 312 00:19:50,560 --> 00:19:52,600 to bitterness and rage? No. 313 00:19:53,760 --> 00:20:00,120 When we walk in sacrificial love, can we still continue 314 00:20:00,120 --> 00:20:03,240 holding on to these things? And not likely. 315 00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:11,400 So the do's here really do kind of take care of the don'ts if. 316 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:15,880 We live out these things of being kind and compassionate, of 317 00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:19,080 of sacramential love, of forgiving others. 318 00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:25,160 So now I kind of want to draw attention to a couple things, 319 00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:27,360 right? When you look at verse 24 and 320 00:20:27,360 --> 00:20:30,600 you look at the end of verse 2, they're like bookends. 321 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:36,080 OK, Verse 24 kind of ends with like God be like God in holiness 322 00:20:36,080 --> 00:20:38,360 and righteousness, right? So it's this idea of being like 323 00:20:38,360 --> 00:20:41,080 God. And then verse two ends with 324 00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:43,760 loving like Jesus or being like Jesus. 325 00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:47,200 So between this, both kind of sandwiched between these 326 00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:51,760 thoughts of like God and like Jesus, we have these lists of 327 00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:54,560 things that are expected of us, these commands that we have, 328 00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:57,400 things that we are to do, things that we are to do right. 329 00:20:57,800 --> 00:21:01,680 The only reason we can do this is because we have this new 330 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:03,720 life. The only reason we can do this 331 00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:07,720 is because we are truly set apart now. 332 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:14,120 Set apart as in we are no longer separated from God, we are in 333 00:21:14,120 --> 00:21:17,680 God, and in God we have been set apart and so we can do this. 334 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:22,360 So now going back to our study, it says do not grieve the Holy 335 00:21:22,360 --> 00:21:26,480 Spirit with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 336 00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:30,640 The only reason we can do this is because we have the Holy 337 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:33,600 Spirit. He is in US, right? 338 00:21:34,080 --> 00:21:37,360 We are changed by Him. We are set apart by Him. 339 00:21:37,360 --> 00:21:44,280 We are sealed by Him, so he So this life of being set apart is 340 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:48,200 only possible because of the Holy Spirit, because He has 341 00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:50,960 sealed us for the day of reduction, and because He gives 342 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:57,680 us the strength and the power to live out this new life, living 343 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:01,520 out this new life, constantly making sure that we're putting 344 00:22:01,520 --> 00:22:03,040 off our old and putting on our new. 345 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:06,280 It's probably frankly, impossible without the power of 346 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:11,920 the Holy Spirit, right? So him being in US is the force 347 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:15,760 is the power that is necessary in our life so that we truly can 348 00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:18,000 live this life that is set apart. 349 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:25,720 OK, now this idea of grieving the Holy Spirit, right? 350 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:30,480 So even though we are part of this new life that is set apart, 351 00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:37,560 we choose to act in ways that are lining up with our old self 352 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:40,440 and not our new self. And when we act in ways that are 353 00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:44,280 aligned with our old self, right, it grieves the Holy 354 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:47,240 Spirit. There is a response from the 355 00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:53,800 Holy Spirit when we take part in actions that are all about our 356 00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:56,320 old self and have nothing to do with our new self. 357 00:22:58,960 --> 00:23:06,160 This, this grief, right? It really should be viewed 358 00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:10,240 seriously. It is this deep sorrow. 359 00:23:10,360 --> 00:23:13,000 It is almost like this mourning, right? 360 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:19,560 It is he feels grief. He experiences grief as a result 361 00:23:19,560 --> 00:23:23,160 of our actions. So he is. 362 00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:27,440 Thing is, you can only experience grief when you're 363 00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:30,400 like in relationships. So there's just he's in 364 00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:33,280 relationship with us. He is ever present. 365 00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:38,280 He lives in US. He sees everything, He knows all 366 00:23:38,280 --> 00:23:41,560 things. And as he's in relationship with 367 00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:45,720 us and he's in us, when we take part in these things, right when 368 00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:48,320 we give into the desires of our old life and not our new life, 369 00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:57,560 he is grieved. It's it is really sobering to 370 00:23:57,560 --> 00:24:01,960 think that our actions can get this response from him. 371 00:24:02,440 --> 00:24:05,640 Whenever our actions don't line up with his desire for our lives 372 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:09,000 to be righteous and holy. There is this response, right? 373 00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:13,760 I think we really have to focus on the part that he is so 374 00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:18,360 relational, right? He is so relational with us that 375 00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:23,600 what we do elicits a response from him, right? 376 00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:31,920 It is this. I almost think that it hurts him 377 00:24:32,440 --> 00:24:39,120 when he sees us do things that don't line up right with our 378 00:24:39,120 --> 00:24:47,720 life of being set apart by him. Now I can only imagine the 379 00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:51,160 constant state of grief. The Holy Spirit is probably in 380 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:56,080 looking at my life, right? The things that I choose to do, 381 00:24:56,560 --> 00:25:00,800 the things that I choose to think about, the motives and 382 00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:02,800 attitudes towards certain things right? 383 00:25:03,040 --> 00:25:07,120 All of those things. He must constantly be in a state 384 00:25:07,120 --> 00:25:10,760 of grief. However, that grief doesn't keep 385 00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:15,280 him from being with me, so I find consolation in that as 386 00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:18,640 well. We go through life right making 387 00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:21,080 choices so that we prevent other people from being hurt. 388 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:26,200 We make, we intensely make choices so that we don't hurt 389 00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:28,360 other people or that other people can avoid grief. 390 00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:31,960 So be it. Our spouses, our children, our 391 00:25:31,960 --> 00:25:38,080 parents, our friends, our bosses, our Co workers, whoever 392 00:25:38,360 --> 00:25:42,040 it may be. We intentionally make choices so 393 00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:44,720 that we prevent them from getting hurt by our actions. 394 00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:49,600 So if we can do that with our important human relationships, 395 00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:53,560 shouldn't the Holy Spirit be on the top of that list? 396 00:25:53,800 --> 00:26:02,040 That we make sure that the actions that we take part in do 397 00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:06,720 not grieve him, do not hurt, do not fill him with sorrow. 398 00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:11,440 So I think just like we gauge our actions around other people, 399 00:26:11,680 --> 00:26:14,240 it's time to think about the Holy Spirit, that we engage our 400 00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:17,480 actions based on what pleases him and what grieves him. 401 00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:23,400 Now the reason we're talking about this in the context of 402 00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:28,440 being set apart is it is really not our labels that clearly set 403 00:26:28,440 --> 00:26:34,240 us apart, but it is our actions that clearly set us apart in 404 00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:37,600 this world, right? We have the label of Christian, 405 00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:39,800 right? And that can set us apart 406 00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:42,000 somewhat. But with our label of Christian, 407 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:45,880 if our actions are lining up more with the world around us 408 00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:52,440 rather than with Christian faith, that's really not being 409 00:26:52,440 --> 00:26:55,280 set apart. It is our actions that really 410 00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:57,120 set us apart. It is when the world does one 411 00:26:57,120 --> 00:27:00,360 thing and we choose to do something different that sets 412 00:27:00,360 --> 00:27:02,880 its apart. When the world lines up its 413 00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:05,880 actions with its values. But we say no, we're going to 414 00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:08,120 line up our actions with our values as Christians. 415 00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:13,200 That is where we are set apart. So it is our actions that set us 416 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:17,520 apart. So if it is our actions that set 417 00:27:17,520 --> 00:27:22,360 us apart, so when we engage in actions that do not line up with 418 00:27:22,360 --> 00:27:25,560 being set apart, they do not line up with the desires the 419 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:28,120 Holy Spirit has for us. Do not line up with our 420 00:27:28,120 --> 00:27:30,920 Christian values. We have to ask the question, 421 00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:33,320 why? Because we've seen in the first 422 00:27:33,320 --> 00:27:37,080 two sections, right? Our thinking is heavily tied 423 00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:40,400 with our actions, right? Our actions stem from our 424 00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:43,560 thinking, the futile thinking or renewed thinking, right? 425 00:27:43,560 --> 00:27:45,320 So our actions stem from our thinking. 426 00:27:45,320 --> 00:27:49,440 So when we find ourselves engaging in actions that grieve 427 00:27:49,440 --> 00:27:56,000 the Holy Spirit, we need to ask the question, why did I do that? 428 00:27:56,040 --> 00:28:00,880 What was the reason I did that? And then kind of figure out if 429 00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:05,440 the thinking was futile thinking or if it was renewed. 430 00:28:05,760 --> 00:28:08,680 But I'm guessing most of the time, not most of the time. 431 00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:09,920 Sorry. All the time. 432 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:12,680 Things that grieve the Holy Spirit kind of stem from our 433 00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:17,040 futile thinking. So I'll kind of give you an 434 00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:20,120 example of what I mean and I hope this will make things clear 435 00:28:20,120 --> 00:28:23,920 for you. A couple months ago I was at 436 00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:29,040 work and it was a period that I did not have a class or I wasn't 437 00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:33,840 talking to anyone at that point and have an appointment, so it 438 00:28:33,840 --> 00:28:38,200 was time to. It is meant for work at school. 439 00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:45,120 However, I chose to work on the sermon right And then a few 440 00:28:45,120 --> 00:28:48,960 minutes into working on the sermon, I knew what I did. 441 00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:52,600 I knew what I was doing was not right, but I chose to do it. 442 00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:57,200 So few minutes into working and I asked myself, I know this is 443 00:28:57,200 --> 00:29:01,200 not right, but why am I doing this right then? 444 00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:04,840 The reason I came up with this I don't think I have enough time 445 00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:06,880 to finish it. So I need to spend this time 446 00:29:06,920 --> 00:29:12,280 finishing it. And after I had, I kind of 447 00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:15,680 pondered the reason I had this thought in my head. 448 00:29:15,680 --> 00:29:18,040 And I really believed this was the Holy Spirit speaking to me. 449 00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:22,040 And the thought was, do you not trust me? 450 00:29:22,680 --> 00:29:25,520 And do you not trust me enough with your time? 451 00:29:25,520 --> 00:29:28,680 Do you not trust me to provide you with time? 452 00:29:29,240 --> 00:29:33,120 And that really gripped me. At that moment, of course I 453 00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:34,800 stopped working. I didn't go back to the sermon. 454 00:29:34,800 --> 00:29:36,800 I worked on work stuff after that. 455 00:29:37,120 --> 00:29:42,000 But that idea of my action, right? 456 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:46,560 Even though I seemed like I had a good reason for it, I would 457 00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:47,800 just. I don't know if I have enough 458 00:29:47,800 --> 00:29:50,400 time. I was willing to step out of my 459 00:29:50,400 --> 00:29:53,720 value of integrity and do something I knew was not right. 460 00:29:54,080 --> 00:29:57,960 I chose to steal time from work, to do something that I wanted, 461 00:29:59,800 --> 00:30:08,040 but then find the root is that I simply did not want to or choose 462 00:30:08,040 --> 00:30:12,440 to trust God that he would provide me with time or he would 463 00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:15,320 help me accomplish what he has called me to do. 464 00:30:15,560 --> 00:30:18,360 He would help me finish that sermon. 465 00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:26,480 So this is kind of what I want to leave you guys with today, 466 00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:30,960 right? If you reflect and think of the 467 00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:35,840 times you you did something you knew was not right. 468 00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:40,200 You did something that you knew clearly did not line up with our 469 00:30:40,200 --> 00:30:41,840 values of our Christian faith. Right? 470 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:44,600 Did something clearly that grieved the Holy Spirit. 471 00:30:45,080 --> 00:30:47,480 We kind of have to ask ourselves the reason, right? 472 00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:52,000 What thinking, what pattern of thinking, led to this action? 473 00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:56,120 And then you kind of have to find where that pattern of 474 00:30:56,120 --> 00:30:58,760 thinking, that reason intersects our trust in God. 475 00:30:59,160 --> 00:31:03,600 Like like me, for example. I felt that I didn't have time. 476 00:31:04,200 --> 00:31:07,200 So in terms of trusting God, I didn't trust that God would 477 00:31:07,200 --> 00:31:09,880 provide me with enough time to do what I needed to do. 478 00:31:10,960 --> 00:31:15,280 If your reason is I did this because I'm lonely, then the 479 00:31:15,280 --> 00:31:18,840 question is do you trust God enough to provide you with 480 00:31:18,840 --> 00:31:22,840 companionship when you're lonely, or that he is your 481 00:31:22,840 --> 00:31:25,320 companion? If you are lonely, right? 482 00:31:25,680 --> 00:31:30,360 If your reason is I'm not satisfied with something, then 483 00:31:30,360 --> 00:31:34,040 do you trust God enough to satisfy you or do you not trust 484 00:31:34,040 --> 00:31:37,840 him to satisfy you? So once we have able to identify 485 00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:40,840 these areas right, where trusting God is difficult, then 486 00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:46,680 we invite the Holy Spirit into these areas so we He can help us 487 00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:50,840 trust Him and he can help us change the way that we think. 488 00:31:50,880 --> 00:31:54,480 So He can start this process of renewing our minds so that we're 489 00:31:54,480 --> 00:31:56,680 not caught in the same patterns anymore, so that we're not 490 00:31:56,680 --> 00:31:58,240 caught up in the same things anymore. 491 00:31:59,160 --> 00:32:04,960 So the goal here is not behaviour modification. 492 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:07,880 OK, it's not. Jan is saying something. 493 00:32:07,880 --> 00:32:10,240 I kind of try it out for a couple of days and then move on, 494 00:32:10,320 --> 00:32:14,560 right? That being set apart is way 495 00:32:14,560 --> 00:32:16,920 beyond just behaviour modification, right? 496 00:32:17,080 --> 00:32:21,120 That might work for a week or two, but in the long run being 497 00:32:21,120 --> 00:32:24,240 set apart is about transformation. 498 00:32:24,240 --> 00:32:26,880 It's more than just behaviour modification, it is about 499 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:30,800 transformation, right? It's a constant work of thinking 500 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:37,240 through why we do things that grieve the Holy Spirit and then 501 00:32:37,360 --> 00:32:40,160 inviting him into that space, right? 502 00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:45,680 And then asking him to help us trust God and asking him to 503 00:32:46,080 --> 00:32:50,280 renew our mind, renew, transform the way we think so that we are 504 00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:53,360 no longer trapped in those old patterns of thinking so that we 505 00:32:53,360 --> 00:32:55,920 can truly see change in our actions. 506 00:32:57,080 --> 00:32:59,840 So I think this is where that we can start. 507 00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:09,160 One is understanding that being set apart, for many of us, when 508 00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:12,360 we came to Christ, there was a singular event where we chose to 509 00:33:12,360 --> 00:33:14,920 be set apart. But living this set apart, life 510 00:33:14,920 --> 00:33:20,560 is a continual daily thing that is continually transforming us, 511 00:33:20,560 --> 00:33:25,000 right? So it is a process, It is our 512 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:27,840 journey. But we are to intentionally take 513 00:33:27,840 --> 00:33:30,480 part in this, right? Just because it's a process or 514 00:33:30,480 --> 00:33:33,040 something that's long term doesn't mean it gets neglected, 515 00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:39,320 right? Our actions warrant our 516 00:33:39,480 --> 00:33:41,520 attention because they are important. 517 00:33:41,680 --> 00:33:43,960 They are part of our life that is set apart. 518 00:33:44,320 --> 00:33:46,880 So I think this is kind of how we should start one. 519 00:33:47,960 --> 00:33:51,320 Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you ways in which you have 520 00:33:51,520 --> 00:33:56,000 grieved him. So start out by asking the Holy 521 00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:59,440 Spirit to reveal to you in reveal to you ways in which you 522 00:33:59,440 --> 00:34:02,800 agreed them. I assure you, He surely will 523 00:34:02,800 --> 00:34:04,680 reveal to you the ways in which you agreed them. 524 00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:09,120 And when those things come to light, the first step is 525 00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:12,520 repenting, right? Anything that's going to grieve 526 00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:17,440 him is sinful. So we want to start out with 527 00:34:17,520 --> 00:34:21,040 repentance. We repent for those sinful 528 00:34:21,040 --> 00:34:23,159 actions. We repent for those sins, right? 529 00:34:23,360 --> 00:34:29,480 And once we repent, we reflect on why did we do it, what did we 530 00:34:29,480 --> 00:34:32,280 do and why did we do it. We find out that risk. 531 00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:36,760 And then we invite the Holy Spirit into that space, right, 532 00:34:37,080 --> 00:34:42,520 so that in areas where we are lacking trust, he will help us 533 00:34:42,600 --> 00:34:46,960 to build trust and he will renew our mind to think of these 534 00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:49,719 things in a different way, so that they're no longer the 535 00:34:49,719 --> 00:34:54,000 patterns that we've seen before. So it is a continual 536 00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:57,360 transformation from our old self to our new self, continually 537 00:34:57,360 --> 00:35:00,920 putting off the old, putting on the new right, continually 538 00:35:01,520 --> 00:35:07,000 choosing to be set apart. And we are able to do this 539 00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:10,520 because we have the Holy Spirit. We're able to do this because He 540 00:35:10,520 --> 00:35:13,240 sets us apart. We're able to do this, that even 541 00:35:13,240 --> 00:35:17,880 though our actions grieve him, He stays. 542 00:35:17,880 --> 00:35:22,640 He does not leave our side and he is faithful to continue to 543 00:35:22,640 --> 00:35:29,120 help us, to transform us into living a more, into living a 544 00:35:29,120 --> 00:35:31,800 life that is more and more set apart each day. 545 00:35:32,840 --> 00:35:38,440 So as we end, I invite you to start a conversation with the 546 00:35:38,440 --> 00:35:42,760 Holy Spirit. Ask him and ask him how have you 547 00:35:42,760 --> 00:35:45,560 grieved him? Start the conversation, right 548 00:35:45,560 --> 00:35:49,200 Repent, and then reflect and see how you can invite him into that 549 00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:53,720 space so that he can truly transform us, that he can truly 550 00:35:53,720 --> 00:35:56,720 transform you. So I'm going to go ahead and end 551 00:35:56,720 --> 00:36:00,360 with the word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you 552 00:36:00,360 --> 00:36:05,800 for this time. We thank you that your spirit 553 00:36:05,800 --> 00:36:09,400 lives in US, and it's the power in us to live a life that is set 554 00:36:09,400 --> 00:36:13,600 up hard. For we know and we believe that 555 00:36:13,600 --> 00:36:18,400 our actions are of utmost importance to you, to the point 556 00:36:18,400 --> 00:36:21,200 that our actions, when they do not line up with you, Lord, that 557 00:36:21,200 --> 00:36:24,880 they grieve your spirit. Lord, we no longer want to 558 00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:34,520 grieve your spirit, Lord. Lord, if our hearts are hardened 559 00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:39,480 and we are not moved by the fact that we grieve the Holy Spirit, 560 00:36:39,760 --> 00:36:45,760 Lord, soften our hearts, have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on 561 00:36:45,760 --> 00:36:49,560 us, and soften our hearts. Lord, we want our hearts to be 562 00:36:49,560 --> 00:36:53,400 softened so that we are moved when we grieve your spirit. 563 00:36:53,440 --> 00:36:56,960 Lord, we don't want to be indifferent, Lord, when we 564 00:36:56,960 --> 00:37:01,960 grieve your spirit, but we want to be moved as well. 565 00:37:01,960 --> 00:37:05,200 Lord, when your spirit is filled with grief because of something 566 00:37:05,200 --> 00:37:11,520 that we have done, so right now we ask, Lord, that you soften 567 00:37:11,520 --> 00:37:12,880 us. That is something only you can 568 00:37:12,880 --> 00:37:17,920 do, Lord, soften our heart and hearse so that we are moved when 569 00:37:17,920 --> 00:37:25,160 your spirit is believed by us. And Lord, help us to be open and 570 00:37:25,160 --> 00:37:29,160 vulnerable with your spirit so that we are open to Him, 571 00:37:29,160 --> 00:37:34,600 renewing our minds, transforming our thinking work so that we no 572 00:37:34,600 --> 00:37:37,320 longer are taking part in these patterns that we used to, but 573 00:37:37,320 --> 00:37:40,560 that we are truly living a lifeblood and in our actions 574 00:37:40,560 --> 00:37:44,200 that is truly set apart by you and for you. 575 00:37:45,600 --> 00:37:47,600 Lord, we love you. We thank You for the mercy that 576 00:37:47,600 --> 00:37:51,280 You have shown us. We ask that again. 577 00:37:52,680 --> 00:37:55,720 Be gracious to us, be merciful to us and soften our hearts. 578 00:37:58,480 --> 00:38:00,720 We want to feel when your spirit is grieved. 579 00:38:01,560 --> 00:38:06,440 We want to know that when we have grieved, we love you. 580 00:38:07,280 --> 00:38:08,840 In Jesus name we pray. Amen. 581 00:38:09,880 --> 00:38:11,640 Thanks for listening to this message. 582 00:38:11,960 --> 00:38:15,480 We hope you were blessed to hear more messages like this. 583 00:38:15,760 --> 00:38:19,800 Make sure to subscribe and check out our podcast channel for past 584 00:38:19,800 --> 00:38:22,160 episodes. If you like what you are 585 00:38:22,160 --> 00:38:26,680 hearing, consider rating us, subscribing and even sharing it 586 00:38:26,680 --> 00:38:29,280 with friends. That would really help us. 587 00:38:29,960 --> 00:38:34,600 For more content from Via Zion and to connect with us, go to 588 00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:39,760 Via Zion dot in. Remember, whoever finds Jesus 589 00:38:40,040 --> 00:38:44,000 finds life. Yeah.