Sermon
delivered on September 30th, 2018
Sunday Morning Service
By: Pastor Greg Hocson
Scripture Text: I Thessalonians 5:14-28
1 Thessalonians 5:14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that
are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all
men. 15: See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that
which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. 16: Rejoice evermore. 17:
Pray without ceasing. 18: In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of
God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 19: Quench not the Spirit. 20: Despise not
prophesyings. 21: Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 22: Abstain
from all appearance of evil. 23: And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly;
and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24: Faithful is he that calleth you, who
also will do it. 25: Brethren, pray for us. 26: Greet all the brethren with an
holy kiss. 27: I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the
holy brethren. 28: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
Introduction
In
our theme this year we have been considering the nature and the
ministry of the Holy Spirit both in the lives of the unbelievers and
believers. There are a number of analogies used
in the Scriptures to describe the nature and ministry of the Holy Spirit, one
of these is fire.
Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance:
but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to
bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: 12:
Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his
wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
The
Holy Spirit and His ministry is the fire that consumes and burns up the
dross of sin in our lives.
Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were
all with one accord in one place. 2: And suddenly there came a sound from
heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were
sitting. 3: And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire,
and it sat upon each of them. 4: And they were all filled with the Holy
Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance.
The
Holy Spirit is also the fire of power and energy that fuels our efforts to
labor for the glory of Christ and the good of His people.
The
Holy Spirit wants to intensify the heat of His presence among us, to inflame
our hearts and fill us with the warmth of His indwelling power. So don't put
out the flame! Don't put out the Spirit's fire! That's what we read in 1 Thessalonians 5:19 Quench not the Spirit.
Here
Paul warns the early church not to quench the Spirit! The word "quench" in this verse means to extinguish, to put out, to snuff out. It
means to extinguish a fire by dousing it with water.
You
and I need to understand the work of the Holy Spirit to understand the severity and seriousness of
the warning. The work of the Holy Spirit is so critical. It is extremely
necessary. It is a vitally important. In quenching the Spirit, we do
ourselves much harm and bring on ourselves great loss. How serious a
problem is this in our churches today?
It
is serious because a quenched Spirit means no
conviction of sin; no sinner drawn to the Saviour; no regeneration; no drawing
closer to the Lord; no sanctification; no help in our infirmities; no help in
our prayers; no guide into all truth, no one teach us all things; no
empowerment in service; no helper and comforter in this life; no fruit of the
Spirit.
A
quenched Spirit means no knowledge of God; no nearness to God, no love for God
and His word, no warmth in prayer, no power in our witness.
A
quenched Spirit is a hindered Spirit. When
we quench the Spirit we hinder the ministry of the gifts of the Spirit, or the
convicting ministry of the Spirit, or the teaching ministry of the Spirit, and
comforting ministry of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is willing and ready
to give us a divine assignment, but we hinder His wonderful plans when we
quench Him.
If
these are the consequences of quenching the Spirit, I want to know the ways I
may be quenching the Holy Spirit and by His grace will seek to avoid
them. There are numerous ways we may be quenching the Spirit. That's what I
want to focus this morning.
1. By Ignoring the Spirit and His Promptings
One
way we could be quenching the Spirit is when we ignore or suppress His
promptings. We are to be sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit. We must learn
to listen and obey the Spirit's inner workings - either directing us
what to do and what not to do. We should welcome the Spirit, watch for His
presence, and submit ourselves to His leading. Otherwise we quench the
Spirit by indifference and neglect.
To
ignore the Holy Spirit is to invite trouble.
"A story
was told about two young women who lost their lives in a fire that swept
through their apartment as they slept. Their home was equipped with a
smoke detector that was in good working order, but it did not go off
during the fire. Why? Fire inspectors discovered that the smoke
detector had been deactivated for a party the night before. The unit
had been disconnected to keep it from sounding off because of the smoke from
cooking and candles. They tried to suppress the sound of the alarm by
disconnecting it. What a tragedy! Sadly that happens many times over in the
spiritual realm."
"We need to
realize that the Holy Spirit was not given to annoy us like a sensitive smoke
detector. He doesn't sound false alarms. When He activates our conscience by
bringing to mind a principle or warning from God's Word, it is really His love
and wisdom in action.
By
weighing the warnings of His love against the cost of our foolishness, we'll
soon realize that it's always better to be safe than sorry." M R De Haan II
2. By Neglecting our Spiritual Gifts
Not
only do we quench the Spirit by ignoring the Spirit and His promptings, we also
quench Him by neglecting the Spiritual gifts He has given us.
Paul
in this letter warns Timothy not to hinder the work of the Holy Spirit in his
life.
1 Timothy 4:14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee,
which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the
presbytery.
2 Timothy 1:6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir
up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
Timothy
had been given spiritual gift during his commissioning service. In these
passages, Paul encourages him not to neglect his spiritual gift but rather, to
stir up, to fan the flame, to kindle afresh the
gift of God which is in him.
"Spiritual
gifts are divine abilities distributed by the Holy Spirit to every believer
according to God's design and grace for the common good of the body of Christ."
Timothy
received spiritual gifts from God. But it's not just Timothy who received
gifts. Each one of us has God-given gifts. And there are many
different spiritual gifts such as speaking gifts: which include
word of wisdom, prophecy, evangelism, pastor-teacher, and teaching. Then there
are the service gifts, such as, administration, exhortation, faith,
giving, helps, serving, and mercy.
Romans 12:4 For as we have many members in one body, and all
members have not the same office: 5: So we, being many, are one body in Christ,
and every one members one of another. 6: Having then gifts differing
according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy,
let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7: Or ministry,
let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
8: Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth,
with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
Please
understand that these spiritual gifts are given not for our own edification
or pride but for the furtherance of God's message and plan. Our
spiritual gifts are to be used to exalt the Saviour; edify the saints; and
evangelize the sinners.
When
we do not use the spiritual gift God has given us, we quench the Spirit; we
hinder His essential ministry.
Furthermore,
do not hinder the ministry of the Holy Spirit by despising another's spiritual
gift. Seek to encourage others to use their spiritual gifts. Help others find
opportunity for ministry.
3. By Despising the Means of Grace
Not
only do we quench the Spirit by ignoring the Spirit and His promptings and
by neglecting the Spiritual gifts He has given us, we also quench Him by
despising the means of grace.
By
"means of grace"
I mean the instruments that God uses for our sanctification. God works
by means. In His grace and in His wisdom, God has provided ways to
help us grow in grace and serve in grace. These means of grace include
the reading of Scripture, hearing God's Word, personal time with God in the
Word and prayer, assembling of ourselves, partaking the Lord's Supper, etc.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 Quench not the Spirit. 20: Despise
not prophesyings.
Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto
love and to good works: 25: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves
together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much
the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Sad
to say many professing Christians despise these instruments God
has provided as a result growth and serve are stifled. You and I cannot
neglect these means of grace without reaping its consequences. Neglecting
these means of grace, as it were, stop up the channel by which the Spirit would
come to us. Thus we quench the Spirit.
These
are three of the many ways in which the Spirit may be quenched.
Closing Thoughts
Let
me close with this quote from a 19th Century preacher, Octavius
Winslow. He had written something which all
Bible-believing, gospel-centered Christians need to hear and heed.
He
writes:
"All that we
spiritually know of ourselves, all that we know of God, and of Jesus, and His
Word, we owe to the teaching of the Holy Spirit; and all the real light,
sanctification, strength and comfort we are made to possess on our way to
glory, we must ascribe to Him. . . . Where He is honored, and adoring thoughts
of His person, and tender, loving views of His work are cherished, then are
experienced, in an enlarged degree, His quickening, enlightening, sanctifying
and comforting influence."
Brothers
and sisters, quench not the Spirit of God. You and I cannot afford to quench
the Spirit. Everything we know of God, everything we understand in God's Word,
we owe to the Spirit and His ministry.
Seek
to avoid anything and everything that
hinder His working. How about this subject of spiritual gifts. What are
your gifts? Are you neglecting them or using them for the
advancement God's and God's glory? O, do not quench the Spirit by neglect of
the gift He has given you. Never discount your gifts. Never think they
are meaningless or useless to God. Give yourself wholly to those gifts and
use them for God's glory and for the building up of His church.
Stir
up, fan the flame, and stoke the fire so that it burns higher. Let the Spirit
of God consume you! God bless you all!
AMEN!