Knowing What Grieves God
The Bible tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 “for I know the thoughts that I think toward you
says the Lord Yahweh, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected
end”; God also told Jeremiah “before I formed you in the belly, I knew you, and
before you came forth out of the womb, I sanctified you and I ordained you a prophet
to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). In III John 2 the Bible says “beloved I wish above all
things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers”. It
grieves God when people don’t walk by faith (Hebrews 11:6) “but without faith it is
impossible to please Him, for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that
He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him”. The Bible tells us to “walk by faith
and not by sight”. It grieves God when people don’t believe and trust Him. Malachi 3:
13-14 says “your words have been stout (arrogant) against Me says the Lord
Yahweh, yet you say, what have we spoken so much against You. You have said, it
is vain to serve God and what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, and that we
have walked mournfully before the Lord of host”.
Jesus says “I only speak what I have heard My Father speak” and Jesus told us that
the Holy Spirit would not speak of Himself, but what He hears from Jesus, yet people
don’t think any thing about what they speak. That grieves God because our words
have power. Proverbs 18:21 says “death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and they that love shall eat the fruit thereof”. James said “he that wavers is like a
wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he
shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways”
(James 1:6b-8). Jesus said “that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall
give account thereof in the day of judgment”. For by your words you shall be
justified, and by your words you shall be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37).
God ordained us to walk in good works (Ephesians 2:10) and God predestinated for
us to be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). Paul wrote in Ephesians
4:11-15 “He (Jesus) gave some apostles, some prophets, and some evangelist, and
some pastors and teachers. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Till we all some in the unity of the
faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of
the stature of the fullness of Christ. That we thereafter be no more children, tossed
to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and
cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in
love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ”. Psalms 82:
6-8 says it like this “I have said, you are gods, and all of you are children of the Most
High. But you shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. Arise, o god, judge
the earth, for you shall inherit all nations”. It grieves God when His children are
defeated (Psalms 35:27) says “let them shout for joy, and be glad that favor my
righteous cause, yea, let them say continually. Let the Lord Yahweh be magnified,
which has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant”.
God gave Adam dominion (Genesis 1:26-28); Adam grieved God when he disobeyed
His command and obeyed the devil and fell into the trap of the devil (Genesis 3).
God did not leave man there, He sent Jesus to redeem us (II Corinthians 5:17-21).
Jesus defeated the devil, then said “all power is given to Me in heaven and in earth.
Go you, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of
the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). Dominion was restored to mankind, Jesus said
“behold I give to you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the
power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19); and
Jesus gave us the keys of the kingdom (Matthew 16:19) “and I will give to you the
keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever you shall bind on earth, shall be
bound in heaven, and whatsoever you shall loosed in heaven”. The Bible also tells
us to “resist the devil and he will flee” (James 4:7). It grieves God when His people
are defeated, not being the head but the tail.
Ephesians 4:22-32 explains how we can fulfill this; “that you put off concerning the
former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.
And be renewed in the spirit of your mind. And tat you put on the new man, which
after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away
lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
Be you angry, and sin not, let not the sun go down upon your wrath. Neither give
place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labor, working
with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needs.
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to
the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers. And grieve not the Holy
Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed to the day of redemption. Let all bitterness,
and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all
malice. And be you kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even
as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you”.
Sin opens the door for the devil to come into your life (Romans 6:15-16) “What
then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God
forbid. Know you not, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his
servants you are to whom you obey; whether of sin to death, or of obedience to
righteousness?”
The Bible says “God does not want even one to perish, but that all would come to
the knowledge of the truth”, but people are dying and going to hell, against God’s
will, that grieves God. The Bible says that hell is enlarging. He sent His Son to pay
the price for the sins of the whole world, but people don’ know that. Hosea 4:6 says
“My people perish for lack of knowledge”. It grieves God that people are not
witnessing to others. In Acts 1:8 Jesus said “but you shall receive power, after that
the Holy Spirit is come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the
earth”. The Holy Spirit was sent as our helper, to teach us all things, and tell us
things to come; and empower us to be witnesses. This is not a work we can do on
our own, we must receive the Spirit.
Study by: Harriet Bond
Date: July 31, 2007