QUENCHING THE HOLY SPIRIT

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SHEEP IN THE WORD MINISTRIES Rev. Robert C. Lewis
Glendale Baptist Church Houston,
Texas quicknotes.org 2007
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QUENCHING THE HOLY SPIRIT

• Do not quench the Spirit! (1 Thessalonians 519)

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NEGATIVE COMMAND

• "Do not quench the Spirit!" is a prohibition or
  negative command

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the imperative mood of the verb "quench"
(sbennumi) indicates this verse is a
commandthe plural number shows it's addressed
to every Christian who ever lives in the Church
Age
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in effect the Holy Spirit, the author of
Scripture, says, "Don't quench me!It's
possible for a human being to quench God!
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this is one of the shortest verses in the
Bible, yet one that must be applied every day of
your life
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to quench the Spirit is to walk in the flesh
(cf. Rom 84)quenching the Spirit is
disobedience, and since all disobedience is sin,
quenching Him results in carnality (cf. 1 Cor
33) and an absence of fellowship with God (cf.
1 John 16)
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USE OF THE WORD

• biblical and extra-biblical uses of sbennumi
  (sbe/nnumi) help us understand what quenching the
  Spirit is

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sbennumi occurs six times in the NT and often
in secular Greekprimarily of quenching fire,
emotions, or behavior
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it's used in the Bible of(1) extinguishing a
smoldering lamp-wick with your thumb and
forefinger (Matt 1220),
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(2) a flame going out from lack of fuel (Matt
258),
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(3) the fire in Gehenna that will never be
quenched (Mark 948),
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(4) putting out flaming arrows or spears with a
shield (Eph 616),
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(5) quenching the Holy Spirit (1 Thess 519), and
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(6) quenching the power of fire to burn and kill
(Heb 1134)
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uses outside the NT include(1) putting out a
fire with water or dirt (Josephus, Jewish War
7.405),
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(2) quenching sorrow with wine (Josephus,
Antiquities 11.40),(3) quenching anger with
gifts (Homer, Iliad 9. 678),
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(4) quenching anger with self-control (Plato,
Laws 10.888A),(5) quenching emotions with
self-control(4 Maccabees 164),
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(6) problems quenching love (Song of Solomon 87
LXX),(7) disappointments quenching joy
(Josephus, Jewish War 6.31), and(8) quenching
sexual immorality with hard work (Plato, Laws
8.835D)
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from these examples we may concludequenching
is putting something completely out so it no
longer continues to exist
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MINISTRIES OF THE SPIRIT

• the Holy Spirit came to usher in a new age of
  spiritual power

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to discover what quenching the Spirit is we
must ask what He does in our lives only then can
we decide what may be quenchedwe must
understand why He was sent (or what He came to
do) before we can understand what it means to
quench Him
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the recurring promise of the Spirit in the
Gospel of John gives several reasons for His
adventHe came (1) to teach us all truth,
including prophecy (1426 1613),
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(2) to help us recall the truth we've learned
(1426),
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(3) to make spiritual blessings flow from our
souls to others (73839),
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(4) to convict the world of sin, righteousness,
and judgment (16811),
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(5) to bear witness of Christ (1526),
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(6) to glorify Jesus Christ on earth during His
absence (1614)
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Jesus obviously thought the promised ministries
of the Spirit were importantthat alone should
tell us how serious it is to quench and frustrate
the work the Holy Spirit came to do
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THE HELPER

• the Holy Spirit came to help us live the
  Christian life

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four times Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the
Paraclete"the Helper" (John 1416, 26 1526
167) because
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in filling He controls us and helps us live a
life that pleases God,
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(2) in teaching He helps us learn the Bible,
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(3) in defending He helps us say the right thing
under persecution,
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(4) in interceding He helps us pray effectively,
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(5) in leading He helps us know where to go and
what to do,
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(6) in empowering He helps us witness and use our
spiritual gifts,
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(7) in assuring He helps us relax and be
confident we're saved, and
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(8) in producing the fruit of the Spirit He helps
us become more like Christ
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QUENCHING HIS WORK

• it's possible to quench some work of the Holy
  Spiritbut no one can stop Him if He decides to
  do something

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His pre-salvation and saving ministries are
unquenchableno one can keep Him from
convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and
judgment (John 16811),or from regenerating
(Titus 35), indwelling (Rom 89), baptizing (1
Cor 1213), and sealing (Eph 430) people who
believe in Jesus Christ
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His post-salvation ministries to believers,
however, may be quenched(1) filling (Eph
518),(2) teaching (John 1426 1613),
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(3) speaking in our defense (Matt 101920 Luke
121112),(4) interceding(Rom 82627),(5)
leading (Acts 1668),
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(6) empowering (Acts 18),(7) assuring (Rom
816), and(8) producing the fruit of the Spirit
(Gal 52223)
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NO HELP

• quenching the Spirit prevents Him from helping
  us live the Christian life

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quenching keeps Him from(1) filling and
controlling your life,(2) teaching you the
truth,(3) recalling the truth when you need it,
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(4) speaking in your defense,(5) interceding
for you and helping you to pray,(6) leading and
guiding you,
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(7) empowering you to witness for Christ,(8)
helping you exercise your spiritual gift(s),(9)
assuring you of your salvation,
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(10) producing in your soul His fruit (love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control), and
from(11) being a blessing to othersthat's how
serious quenching the Spirit is!
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to quench the Spirit is to keep Him from
helping you,from working in your life,from
doing with your life what He came to do
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quenching Him is extinguishing, totally putting
out His post-salvation ministriesit's as
though He didn't exist!
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the post-salvation work of the Spirit may be
quenched for short or for long periods of time
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SIN QUENCHES THE HOLY SPIRIT

• personal sins quench His work because the
  flesh, not the Spirit, is in control of your life

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the Holy Spirit is quenched when you have
unconfessed sin in your lifewhen you're
walking in darkness,out of fellowship with God,
walking in the flesh, carnalwhen you're not
letting Him fill and control youwhen He's not
teaching, defending, interceding, leading,
assuring, empowering, and producing His fruit in
you
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He is quenched when He can't work in you and
through you to accomplish His desires and purposes
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GRIEVING AND QUENCHING THE SPIRIT

• grieving relates to His emotional state whereas
  quenching relates to His work or ministries

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sin grieves (saddens, irritates, angers) Him
(Eph 430)and quenches His work in you, for
you, and through you
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if someone quenches your desire or ability to
help others, arent you grievedsaddened,
irritated, or angered?
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SHEEP IN THE WORD MINISTRIES Rev. Robert C. Lewis
Glendale Baptist Church Houston,
Texas quicknotes.org 2007