Nov 28, 2021. I Thessalonians 5:19-20

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SPIRIT LED.  I Thessalonians 5:19-20.  11/28/2021.  #18.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-20 [New King James Version]

¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not despise prophecies.

• Response to the Spirit
  • Three admonitions concerning the believer’s response to
    • the Holy Spirit:
      •  Ephesians 5:18 be filled with the Holy Spirit
      •  Ephesians 4:30 do not grieve the Holy Spirit
      •  I Thessalonians 5:19 do not quench the Spirit
  • Being filled with the Spirit = yielding to Spirit
    •  Obeying the Word of God, the leading of the Spirit while worship and testifying of the Lord
      •  Spirituality based upon continual seeking the Lord and his will
  • Grieving the Spirit = rebellion against God; sinning
    •  I Corinthians 3, 11 disobedience that leads to a poor testimony, discouragement in body of Christ, and chastisement of the Lord
      •  Grieving the Spirit is the ultimate expression of ingratitude to the Lord, who saved you
• Quenching the Spirit
  • Quenching the Spirit is resisting the work of Spirituality
    •  Refusing to listen or yield to the Spirit (Heb. 5-6)–Elymas, Alexander the Coppersmith
      •  To discourage others from yielding to the Spirit (Euodia and Syntyche; Demetrius in III John)
      •  Quenching = to put out (as water on a fire)
  • Many ways to quench the Spirit
    •  Ignoring the Spirit’s leading, usually through concentrating on temporal desires and issues
      •  Dampening someone else’s enthusiasm to serve the Lord
      •  Infighting (Galatians 5:15)
  • There are dire consequences for resisting the Spirit or causing others to stumble
    •  I Corinthians 3:11-15 loss of reward
      •  Matthew 18:7 the Lord pronounced a curse on those who give offense
  • Quenching the Spirit is more subtle than grieving the Spirit
    •  Something as simple as following a self-oriented routine can quench the Spirit (ignoring the Bible, worship, service + superficial prayers and believing that merely attending services is mark of spirituality
      •  Revelation 2:1-5 the Ephesian church was doing well, except they had left their first love
  • Signs of quenching of the Spirit
    •  Lukewarmness about your faith
      •  Little desire to serve the Lord, praying, or even gathering with other believers
      •  Only a passing familiarity with the Bible
  • Only a vibrant Spirit led life pleases God (Romans 8:5-11)
• Do not despise prophecies
  • Despise = to make of no account; to bring to nothing; to show contempt for
  • Prophecies = speaking forth the mind of God
    •  Not just predictions or foretelling
      •  I Peter 4:11 speaking the oracles of God (presenting accurately the Word of God is prophesying)
  • There are those who claim to be Christians who do not like what the Bible says about morality and doctrine
    •  The Bible is not open to critique
      •  We are not given the option to pick and choose what we like or dislike from the Bible
  • The Word of God is very convicting
    •  Those things that convict us are to our benefit
      •  We can correct, ignore, or reject the counsel of God, but only correction furthers holiness
      •  Those who reject or despise the instruction of the Word of God are in rebellion, do not seek the will of God, and show great ingratitude
  • The Word of God is suppose to make us uncomfortable
    •  Hebrews 4:12; II Timothy 3:16 the Word works against our sin nature (and our pride)
      •  We need to be thankful that the Word convicts us, so we can draw close to God and be blessed
  • Despising the Word means that we have not yet given up pursuing sin and our own selfish desires

Key verse:  Romans 8:5-11

⁵ For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. ⁸ So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. ⁹ But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. ¹⁰ And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.