S1: The struggle of unforgiveness. That's our topic today on Bold
S1: Steps with Mark Jobe.
S2: If you are here today and you have unforgiveness in
S2: your heart, I know that you struggle with experiencing real joy.
S2: It makes you feel distant from the presence of God.
S2: So that tangible, exciting presence of God feels like other
S2: people that can experience it, but you can't.
S1: Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Mark is president
S1: of Moody Bible Institute. He's the senior pastor of New
S1: Life Community Church in Chicago, and I'm Wayne Shepherd. Mark,
S1: we're going to talk about the trap of unforgiveness and
S1: the relationship between our joy and grieving the Holy Spirit.
S2: Yeah, Wayne. Scripture tells us that we can actually grieve
S2: the Holy Spirit inside of us. So it's impossible for
S2: us to be grieving the spirit and experiencing joy at
S2: the same.
S1: Can't do it? No.
S2: And it specifically points to unforgiveness as one of the
S2: root causes that grieves the spirit. And so today, I
S2: want you to listen, soften your hearts, open your ears,
S2: because just maybe God is pointing to a root that
S2: may be in your life that is causing you not
S2: to be able to experience joy.
S1: Such an important message. Let's get started with today's message
S1: titled The Trap of Unforgiveness.
S2: My daughter was probably about 5 or 6 years old.
S2: We had rented a grade school called Davis School by
S2: 38th and Kedzie because we didn't fit in our building anymore,
S2: and I had just finished up one of the services
S2: and an usher came running to me and said, pastor, pastor,
S2: They need you in the back. I said, who needs me?
S2: Your wife. So I said okay. He seemed a little panicked,
S2: and so I made my way quickly to the back,
S2: and I saw my wife, and she looked at me,
S2: big eyes, and she said, it's our daughter, Marissa. I said, well,
S2: is everything okay? And she said, well, look at her.
S2: And as I glanced over there she was, my five
S2: year old daughter, her head stuck between two bars. She
S2: had made her way up the stairs and stuck her
S2: head within two bars, but then she couldn't get her
S2: head out. There she was. Hi, dad. I said, Marissa,
S2: are you okay? I can't get my head out. And
S2: my wife was like, I think we're going to have
S2: to call the firemen. We've been trying to get her
S2: head out, but we can't. And I, I said, okay,
S2: let's try this. And one of the ushers said, we've
S2: been trying, but we don't want to hurt her. We
S2: don't want to cut her ears off. So we figured,
S2: I don't know. So, um, I said, alright, Marissa. So
S2: I lifted her up and and when I got her
S2: high enough in the bars, the bars, I guess, were
S2: a little wider and I was able to get her
S2: little head out, and she gave me a big hug. And, um,
S2: I thought it would be bad if she was there.
S2: A month later, with her head still stuck and we
S2: were feeding her, that would be a bad thing. Some
S2: of you today are stuck like that. Your head is
S2: between two bars, not metal bars, but your head is
S2: between the bars of unforgiveness. There's something about unforgiveness that
S2: traps us. Something about unforgiveness that doesn't let us move.
S2: Something about unforgiveness that when you're in the grip of unforgiveness,
S2: you can't experience joy very well. The presence of God
S2: is pushed away from us. We feel a numbness about
S2: our heart and usually a sense of anger in our spirit.
S2: Unforgiveness is a grip that needs to be broken in
S2: your life. Today is the final message on untangling relationships,
S2: and there's probably no better topic to talk about than
S2: the grip of unforgiveness. In this final message. So I
S2: turn your attention to Ephesians chapter four. There are so
S2: many passages in the Bible that talk about unforgiveness, but
S2: this is a very powerful passage by the Apostle Paul
S2: in Ephesians chapter four. The entire chapter of Ephesians, chapter
S2: four is about unity, relationships, interaction with one another how
S2: to use our gifts. But he ends up this chapter with.
S2: With two very powerful verses. I will begin reading in
S2: verse 30 of Ephesians chapter four. And do not grieve
S2: the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed
S2: for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness,
S2: rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form
S2: of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another. Here goes.
S2: Forgiving each other just as in Christ. God forgave you.
S2: So here's the thing. If you are here today and
S2: you have unforgiveness in your heart, here's what I know
S2: about you. I know that you struggle with experiencing joy,
S2: real joy. You may have moments of happiness, but joy,
S2: that's not how you operate. Here's what else I know
S2: about you. I know that you will struggle with bouts
S2: of anger. Now, anger can be explosive and outward, or
S2: anger can simmer within and make you crabby and grouchy
S2: and moody all the time. I know that if you're
S2: wrestling with unforgiveness, it makes you feel distant from the
S2: presence of God so that that tangible presence of God
S2: feels like other people that can experience it, but you can't.
S2: And so if that's your case this morning, and if
S2: you really want to be free from it, you really
S2: need to listen up, because I believe that you can
S2: walk out of this auditorium today at the end of
S2: this service, having opened up the bars of unforgiveness that
S2: have kept you stuck for a while. There's three things
S2: I want you to understand about unforgiveness. Out of this passage,
S2: if you're taking notes, I want you to write this down.
S2: Number one, unforgiveness robs you of your spiritual joy. I
S2: want you to notice that the Apostle Paul says, and
S2: do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. He starts
S2: with a challenge. Some of you are grieving God because
S2: of unforgiveness. He gives us a challenge at the beginning
S2: of verse 30, and then he gives us a solution
S2: at the end of verse 32, forgiving each other. What
S2: does it mean to grieve the Holy Spirit? Well, the
S2: Bible talks about in first Thessalonians 519. Paul talks about
S2: quenching the spirit. In acts chapter seven, verse 51, Steven
S2: tells listeners to stop resisting the spirit. In Hebrews ten
S2: chapter chapter ten, verse 29, he says, you can insult
S2: or outrage the spirit, but only once in the Bible,
S2: once in the New Testament, do we hear about grieving
S2: the spirit. The New Testament was written in the Greek language.
S2: And some of you know that the reason it was
S2: written in the Greek language is the Old Testament was
S2: written in Hebrew and Aramaic. Some of you know this,
S2: but some of you are new to your Bibles. Greek
S2: was introduced into the ancient world through a man by
S2: the name of Alexander the Great. You may have heard
S2: of him. Uh, he was someone that by the age
S2: of 28, had pretty much conquered the known world. And
S2: everywhere he he conquered, he would hellenize them, which means
S2: he would bring the Greek culture to those areas. And
S2: so they had their own language. But all of these
S2: places also understood Greek. So Greek back then was what
S2: English is to the world today. It was the international language.
S2: So the New Testament is written in ancient Greek. The
S2: word for Greek is Lupino. Lupino is found in this scripture,
S2: only one time, related to grieving the spirit. And it
S2: means to cause to feel sorrow, pain, unhappiness, or distress.
S2: Think about this for a moment that if you have
S2: unforgiveness in your heart, you are actually causing the third
S2: person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, to operate with
S2: the sense of sadness, distress or grief right now in
S2: your life. You say, well, pastor, why is that so important? Well,
S2: let me just explain the function of the Holy Spirit
S2: because he says, do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
S2: by whom you have been sealed unto the day of redemption.
S2: The Holy Spirit, if you are a believer today, if
S2: you have given your life to Christ or had an
S2: experience where you surrendered your life to Christ and pointed
S2: to the cross of Jesus as the only way of
S2: forgiveness of your sins, and you repented and believed, there
S2: is something powerful, dynamic, supernatural that that happens at that moment.
S2: In John chapter three, it calls it being born again.
S2: Paul refers to it as you are a new creation.
S2: Sometimes we commonly know it as being saved. The point
S2: is that from there's a before and an after. When
S2: that happens, here's what happens. If you are a believer
S2: in Christ today and you are born again, you have
S2: the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Triune God,
S2: living inside of you. In fact, you cannot be saved
S2: without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It's the Holy
S2: Spirit that makes you saved. He's the one that redeems you.
S2: He's the one that comes inside of you. He's the
S2: one that lives within your body. First Corinthians chapter three
S2: verse 16 says, do you not know that you are
S2: God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells inside of you?
S2: First Corinthians chapter six, verse 19 and 20. Listen to this.
S2: Or do you not know that your body is the
S2: temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have
S2: from God? You are not your own, for you were
S2: bought at a price. So glorify God in your body.
S2: So listen to me. Well, if you are a believer
S2: of Jesus Christ and you are born again today, the
S2: address of God is your body. You say, well, pastor,
S2: I come to church and I experience God. Hold on.
S2: The church is a gathering of people where God dwells.
S2: You are a temple of God. Your body is the
S2: dwelling place of God. When wherever you go, you bring
S2: God where you walk. God goes where you drive, God drives.
S2: When we dismiss today, we are dismissing thousands of people
S2: that go into every corner of Chicago. And if you're
S2: born again, you are taking the presence of God, the
S2: manifest presence of the Holy Spirit with you. We're going
S2: into every nook and cranny of Chicago because the church scatters,
S2: but God doesn't stay in the building. The manifest presence
S2: of God is with you via the Holy Spirit. And
S2: so wherever you go, you take God in a powerful
S2: way with you.
S1: We'll continue our message in just a moment here on
S1: Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. But first, Mark, if you'll
S1: permit me, I want to share something that's been weighing
S1: on my heart lately. I've been thinking about how throughout history,
S1: God has always raised up people who prioritized his mission,
S1: even during some pretty turbulent times. Whether it was the
S1: early church during persecution, or believers during world wars, or
S1: missionaries and hostile territories, there have always been those who
S1: kept their focus on advancing the gospel despite everything happening
S1: around them. And we've got a lot happening around us
S1: right now.
S2: And Wayne, oftentimes.
S3: It's in the midst of a lot of turbulence and
S3: turmoil that people start looking to the heavens in special.
S2: Ways. And I believe that we live in a moment
S2: like that. And I just want to say that as
S2: a pastor, I've been a pastor for over 30 some
S2: years in the city of Chicago. I have never seen
S2: the openness that I've seen now. That's incredible. I'm having
S2: these conversations, especially with young people. We've seen at our
S2: church over a thousand people come to Christ and get
S2: baptized in the last 24 months, mainly under the age
S2: of 35. Many that had no religious background and are
S2: just hungry for God. And I think the turbulence of
S2: the world has caused them to say I need something.
S2: And many of us as believers, we're getting too distracted
S2: by what's happening and not focused enough on the gospel.
S2: And so I want to bring your attention back to
S2: the opportunities that you have around you. That's what Bold
S2: Steps is all about. Regardless of what's happening in our world,
S2: we believe that the greatest news that needs to be
S2: proclaimed is the good news that Jesus Christ is here.
S2: He's the Savior, and we do not want to miss
S2: this window of opportunity of so many people being open.
S2: So join us as we continue to boldly, passionately, powerfully,
S2: 24 hours a day through moody radio, proclaim the good
S2: news of Jesus.
S1: And at Moody, we're sending workers into that harvest, aren't we?
S2: We are. And so excited about that as well. Uh,
S2: we're sending people focused on the gospel. Bold steps, as
S2: you know, is making sure that we include a call
S2: to the gospel on a regular basis. And so excited
S2: to see people coming to Jesus.
S1: Well, you who are listening can invest your resources in
S1: sharing God's life changing truth. To make a gift, simply
S1: go online to Bold steps.org or our phone number is
S1: 800 Moody. That's (800) 356-6639. And your partnership makes an eternal difference.
S1: And we'll send you, by request, a special bold step
S1: gift as a token of our appreciation. We'll talk more
S1: about that gift later in today's message, but consider partnering
S1: with bold steps. Now back to the message. Here again
S1: is Mark.
S2: Now that's a reminder that your body is the temple
S2: of the Holy Spirit. What does that mean? Well, when
S2: you were born, you're born physically, but you have a soul.
S2: You have a spirit and you have a body. Your spirit.
S2: Not not Holy Spirit, but your spirit is dead. Ephesians
S2: chapter two tells us that your spirit is dead because
S2: of sin. But when you come to God, he makes
S2: it alive. So the Holy Spirit interacts with your spirit.
S2: And as you live your life, when you sin, he
S2: brings you under conviction. He brings joy to your life.
S2: He guides you. He corrects you. He instructs you. He
S2: opens up your eyes to the Word of God. He's
S2: called the Paraclete, which means the coach, the trainer, the
S2: one that walks alongside of you. You have a personal
S2: coach living inside of you via the Holy Spirit in
S2: your body. That wherever you go, whatever you do, the
S2: Holy Spirit is there to guide you, push you, instruct you,
S2: help you worship. He cries, ABBA, father, when you worship today,
S2: when you were worshiping God, the Holy Spirit was saying,
S2: come on, worship the father. Come on, worship he's ABBA, father,
S2: lift up your voice. Do you sense his presence? Do
S2: you feel him? It's the Holy Spirit. When you're tempted
S2: to sin, the Holy Spirit convicts you. You feel the
S2: guilt of sin. You feel the tug of the spirit saying,
S2: that's not who you are, that's who you were, but
S2: not who you are anymore. When you open up the
S2: Word of God and start reading, the Holy Spirit enlightens
S2: your mind and he starts teaching you about the Word
S2: of God. So your spirit is inflamed by the Holy Spirit.
S2: So he teaches you about the Word of God. You
S2: have God living inside of you. You say, well, pastor,
S2: I don't understand that. Well, we worship one God, but
S2: we worship one God in three persons. Since he's a
S2: triune God, it's hard to explain. It's the mystery of
S2: what theologians call the Trinity. But the essence of God
S2: is the same God the Father, God the Son, and
S2: God the Holy Spirit. He's the same. So he's got
S2: the same essence. He's got the same heart. He's got
S2: the same essence of his being, but yet three distinct persons.
S2: God has always existed that way. God the father never
S2: created the son. He's always existed as God the Father,
S2: God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Any teaching
S2: that teaches you otherwise? Listen to me. It's heresy. Any
S2: teaching that devaluates the son or takes away from the
S2: Holy Spirit is not from the Word of God. And
S2: there's a lot of weird, uh, crazy doctrines about the
S2: Trinity or about the Godhead. But there is one God
S2: made up of three persons that have distinct functions. For example,
S2: when you pray, you pray to God the Father, but
S2: you pray through Jesus the Son that gives you access
S2: to God the Father. And it's the Holy Spirit that
S2: teaches you how to pray and what to pray. So
S2: it's one God operating in three distinct functions and three
S2: distinct ways helping you live out your walk in God.
S2: So the Bible tells us that when there is unforgiveness
S2: within our heart, we grieve the Holy Spirit. We cannot
S2: be grieving the spirit and have the joy of the
S2: spirit at the same time. When you are grieving the spirit,
S2: the spirit is who should be producing joy in your life.
S2: When you are grieving, the spirit that is should be
S2: producing joy. You cannot have the joy of God when
S2: you're grieving the Spirit of God at the same time.
S2: Some of us who should be experiencing the joy of
S2: God do not have the joy of God because the
S2: Spirit of God is grieving inside of us. So you
S2: feel the grieving of God instead of the joy of
S2: the spirit.
S1: This is bold steps. You're listening to the Bible teaching
S1: of Mark job, and today's message is titled The Trap
S1: of Unforgiveness. It's only part one, so be sure to
S1: listen tomorrow when we'll continue the lesson. Remember, you can
S1: always revisit these daily messages over on our website at
S1: Bold steps.org. You can also catch Mark's bold and passionate
S1: teaching on our popular Bold Steps podcast, or by downloading
S1: the free Bold Steps app to your phone or mobile device. Mark,
S1: we have authors with us for a moment here. The
S1: authors of Lies Boys believe Aaron and Jason Davis, the
S1: parents of four boys, and they've written this book. Now.
S1: They say that they wish every boy who reads this
S1: book could come spend a day on their farm. He
S1: could pick an apple from their orchard. Scramble up some
S1: eggs straight from the chicken coop. Catch a jar full
S1: of lightning bugs. Uh, Aaron and Jason. Is that offer
S1: open to men as well as boys? I think I'd
S1: like to sign up for that.
S4: Come on, everybody, come.
S1: Aaron. You both have written this wonderful book. What's the
S1: difference between boys and girls when it comes to these
S1: lies that we're talking about?
S4: You know, even that statement shouldn't be. But it is
S4: countercultural that boys and girls are different. Uh, God made
S4: us different. And our boys are growing up in a
S4: culture where that's really, really confusing and we're trying to
S4: erase all of those lines. And so one of the
S4: things we address in the book is that God made
S4: boys and girls different, and that those differences are good. Now,
S4: all of us are prone to deception. Unfortunately, we all
S4: are prone to sin and the enemy lies to all
S4: of us. So lies are for all of us, big
S4: or small, boy or girl. But I think just some
S4: of the ways that God designed, uh, boys from the beginning,
S4: that desire to lead, that desire to matter, that desire
S4: to shepherd. Those are all God given desires. But the
S4: enemy slithers in as he did in the garden, and
S4: he can tend to warp those desires. And so we
S4: tried to help boys think about, yeah, you're different than
S4: your sister. You're different than your mom. And that's good.
S4: We celebrate that. But how do you need to be
S4: on guard as a boy and in the future, as
S4: a man?
S2: Yeah. That's so good, Aaron. You know, I raised two
S2: boys and one daughter, and I didn't have to teach them.
S2: They just naturally gravitated towards just different things. Uh, my
S2: boys always were. They wanted to be the warriors and
S2: sword fighters and my daughters brave. But she wasn't that
S2: attracted to sword fighting that much. She had other interests.
S2: And and it's a beautiful thing that God has created
S2: us differently. Uh, Jason, as you raise your boys, as
S2: you speak into your boys lives, uh, especially at this age.
S2: and you have teenagers. But this. This book is from
S2: 6 to 12. What is the truth? That you feel like?
S2: This is the main truth I want to impart to
S2: them to combat these lies?
S5: Well, there are a lot of truths that combat these lies,
S5: but one of the main ones is that we all
S5: often feel like we're isolated and alone, and that we
S5: can't communicate about our struggles, uh, with the people around us,
S5: because they wouldn't understand. But the truth is, we all struggle.
S5: We all have faced sin. We need to live in
S5: community where we can be open and honest about our
S5: struggles so that we can help each other and and
S5: grow in Christ likeness together. And so that isolation that
S5: a lot of times, uh, Satan wants us to live in,
S5: feel like we're the only ones that are struggling with this,
S5: or we're the only ones that are involved and that
S5: nobody would understand where we're coming from. It's a lie,
S5: and we live better and we live more complete. When
S5: we live in community and we're open with the people
S5: around us.
S1: Well, we are offering this book, Mark, to our listeners. Lies,
S1: boys believe. I can't think of a better thing to
S1: put in the hands of parents and grandparents can.
S2: You know, this is a great resource tool. Thank you
S2: for writing it. And I think there's a lot of
S2: parents that will be excited about getting this book.
S1: Yes. And we want to send you a copy of
S1: Lies Boys Believe. When you make a donation of any
S1: amount to support bold steps, just call us at 800 Moody.
S1: That's (800) 356-6639 or give online at Bold Steps. And you
S1: can also send your gift through the mail. Write to
S1: us at bold steps. 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois
S1: 606 ten. Just be sure to tell us you want
S1: a copy of Lies Boys Believe when you write. By
S1: the way, we'd love to hear from you and get
S1: you connected with our growing online community. On our social
S1: media pages, you'll find us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
S1: Log in, search for Bold Steps Radio and be sure
S1: to subscribe or follow when you get to our page.
S1: That's our time for today, but thanks for joining us.
S1: I'm Wayne Shepherd, inviting you to come back again tomorrow,
S1: and we'll continue Mark's message about unforgiveness and being robbed
S1: of our spiritual joy. In the meantime, why not sign
S1: up for The Bold Stepper Weekly Pastor Mark's free weekly devotional?
S1: It's designed to help you start your week with powerful
S1: biblical truths to guide you through life's challenges. Sign up
S1: today at bird-stamps.org under the devotional tab. And that is
S1: it for today. We'll see you Tuesday right here on
S1: Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Bold steps is a production
S1: of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.