Sermon Central
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Good Grief, Or Is It?
Contributed by Craig Benner on Nov 3, 2012 (message contributor)
Summary: It is an oxymoron, but believe it or not the Bible says that grief can be good for us.
GOOD GRIEF
An oxymoron---Good used instead of saying God (something sought after)
Grief (something we try to avoid)
To be in heaviness; distressed; to be vexed
Something bothers you, then it becomes a burden, it may continue a hang on and become a grief.
Eph. 4:30
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (KJV)
30 Y no contristéis al Espíritu Santo de Dios, con el cual estáis sellados para el día de la redención. (RVG04)
Ps. 119:158
158 ¶ I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word. (KJV)
158 Veía a los prevaricadores, y me disgustaba; porque no guardaban tus palabras. (RVG04)
Heb. 3:10
10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. (KJV)
10 A causa de lo cual me disgusté con aquella generación, y dije: Siempre divagan ellos de corazón, y no han conocido mis caminos. (RVG04)
Ps. 119:71
71 ¶ It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. (KJV)
71 Bueno me es haber sido humillado, para que aprenda tus estatutos. (RVG04)
Ps. 95:10,11
10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:
11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. {that...: Heb. if they enter into my rest}
There is good stress and then there is bad stress
An athlete knows that he can excersize and place a great deal of stress on his body. When it is done in the right measure, he strengthens his muscles and certain organs. If he overdoes it, he can actually damage his body.
The same principle applies to our spiritual lives.
1. There are times that we become grieved by actions or inactions of other people.
2. Other times we are the source of grief to others.
3. God becomes grieved by our wrong attitudes and/or rebellion. If we persist and continue grieving Him, the consecuences can be rather drastic.
I. Grief Deals with more than Death
-We use the word often when speaking of the passing of an individual.
-The sick feeling in the pit of your stomach is hard to put into words.
-When a loved one dies, the grief can be great, and can last for a good while, but usually it gets better with time.
-When a loved one grieves you, and their deeds and actions continue, the grief can be much greater than that of a buried relative.
II. Grief should be a Cue (Stimilus) for One to Take a Course of Action
When I feel grieved, I need to run to the Lord for help. I must not allow myself to fall into the pit of despair.
The grief (affliction) can be considered good, when it draws me closer to the Lord.--Ps. 119:71
When I perceive that another is grieved, I should seek to alleviate that grief with consolation and when possible, changing the situation that caused the grief in the first place.
III. The "Best" of Good Grief
On a lonely dark hill called Golgotha, a Man hung on an old rugged cross. He had been beaten, bloodied, mocked, tortured, drugged, cursed, and spat upon. One would think that all the physical abuse and torment must have killed Him. I beg to differ. It was GRIEF that killed Him that day.
Grief for the sin sick souls of humanity who were hell bound without a proper and pure sacrifice being paid for their sins.
Isa. 53:3,4
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. {we hid...: or, he hid as it were his face from us: Heb. as an hiding of faces from him, or, from us}
3 Despreciado y desechado entre los hombres, varón de dolores, experimentado en quebranto; y como que escondimos de Él el rostro, fue menospreciado, y no lo estimamos. (RVG04)
4 ¶ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
4 Ciertamente llevó Él nuestras enfermedades, y sufrió nuestros dolores; y nosotros le tuvimos por azotado, por herido de Dios y abatido. (RVG04)
IV. A Grief to Avoid at All Costs
The Holy Spirit has feelings. He will put up with a lot. He convicts, teaches, and leads.
Christ went all the way, taking our grief to the cross. He has sent us His Holy Spirit to lead us on to greater victory.
