How Can a Church Grieve The Holy Spirit?, 2

In this part of the sermon: Pastor Martin begins by reading Isaiah 63:7-10 and Ephesians 4:30, then introduces an extended analogy of a beautiful garden aviary that loses its fragrance and song when a toxic…

An extended analogy of a beautiful, fragrant garden aviary filled with rare flowers and birds, which is later found silent and odorless after being sprayed with a toxic, invisible film that killed all life while preserving its appearance. This illustrates how a church can lose the Holy Spirit's presence and power, retaining only the outward 'semblance' of life.

and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on us, and this spot is about the size of a football field,

2:48 - 3:23 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not ignore or arrogantly reject any doctrine taught by the Scriptures.

Imagining someone physically clasping Jesus' throat to silence Him if His words were offensive. This illustrates the spiritual arrogance of willfully ignoring or rejecting doctrines in Scripture.

to make the man of God complete verse 17 then there is no doctrine that comes within the God breathed Scriptures that we have any right willfully to ignore or arrogantly to reject in the consecutive reading of the Word of God we must never come to a portion concerning which we say well if I take that seriously that may rattle my cage that may upset the status quo I will just willfully pass over it that's willful ignorance or we may look at it and say that seems to say this the more I look at it it's obvious it says that but I don't like that do you know what we're doing as I prayed Lord

44:23 - 45:07 Read in full sermon

Driving home: If Jesus Christ is in any way nudged or pushed from his rightful place in the church as Savior Lord is fighting against the very ministry of him who came not only to effect his incarnation but now to take of the things o…

Using a coffee mug to collect water from the Atlantic Ocean and then claiming the mug 'contains the whole of the Atlantic Ocean.' This illustrates the folly and pride of human reason attempting to fully comprehend or limit God's infinite mind and truth.

and my ways above your ways oh dear people may we never never in human pride willfully ignore anything in the scriptures that should be part of that which we call the doctrine we embrace and humbly confess to be God's truth you see you may go down to the Jersey Shore with your mug that you drink your coffee in and you may dip it into the surge and bring it out and say my mug is full of the Atlantic Ocean that would be true but oh what a fool you'd be to say my mug contains

47:55 - 48:39 Read in full sermon

The point: Never permit and approve in our corporate worship anything not sanctioned by the Scriptures.

Comparing God's 'plain-jane institutions' (Bible reading, prayer, singing truth-framed hymns) to the manna given to Israel in the wilderness. Just as Israel grew weary of manna and desired 'flesh,' churches can grow weary of God's ordained means of grace and seek substitutes, leading to the Spirit's grief and withdrawal.

and your corporate experience by their ways Paul had to warn the Colossians in Colossians 2 8 against the traditions of men that would intrude in their concepts of God and salvation and therefore regulate their worship introducing intermediaries rather than the one mediator the Lord Jesus Christ dear people of God don't ever grow weary of God's manna you know what God's manna is His own institutions by which He has ordained to feed our souls that's what manna was to the wilderness generation was it not it was God's own uniquely fully balanced diet

51:35 - 52:19 Read in full sermon