Ephesians #16. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit

·43 min·4 clips

A young man from Brazil instantly identifies Ephesians' shift from doctrine to application, surprising the speaker with his biblical knowledge.

The episode is a sermon titled 'Ephesians #16. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit,' delivered by Matt at Community Church Putney. It begins with a welcome and recap of the previous week's message on putting off the old self and putting on the new self, referencing Nev's teaching. Matt highlights a moment where Alex, a young man from Brazil, noted that Ephesians shifts from doctrine in the first three chapters to application in the last three. He uses an illustration from his childhood about finding and wearing insect-infested dungarees to symbolize rejecting sinful habits. The core of the sermon is an exposition of Ephesians 4:25-32, which Matt reads and divides into four sections: putting on truth instead of falsehood, peacemaking instead of bitterness, usefulness and generosity instead of stealing, and edifying speech instead of corrupting talk. He connects lying to pride and a lack of understanding God's love, sharing a story about a friend who lied due to childhood neglect. On anger, he discusses righteous anger versus sinful anger, warning against gossip and giving the devil a foothold. For generosity, he recounts his own past thefts and transformation, encouraging budgeting and planning to be generous, with examples from his wife Helen and her mother. On speech, he defines unwholesome talk as 'decaying' and contrasts it with speech that builds others up. The sermon concludes by tying all behaviors to God's kindness and forgiveness, urging the congregation to reflect the gospel in their lives. The format is a solo preaching session with interactive audience engagement, recurring themes of spiritual warfare, personal transformation, and practical holiness.

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