Holy Spirit Fire
Extinguishers
Lesson Objective
The students will understand how sin impacts the Holy Spirit’s working in their lives.
Outline
Holy Spirit Fire Extinguishers
I. Do Not Grieve the Holy Spirit
II. Do Not Quench the Holy Spirit
Ephesians 4:30
What are we not to do to the Holy Spirit?
Fire is a remarkable thing. For it to burn, it requires fuel, oxygen, and a spark. If you
take away either the fuel or the oxygen, it will quickly die out until it is completely
extinguished. Once it’s out, the fire can be rekindled only by restoring all of the
original components—the fuel, the oxygen, and the ignition source.
Frequently in the Bible, the Holy Spirit is likened to fire (Acts 2:3-4) as He works in
the lives of believers to empower their spirits and warm their hearts to worship and
serve God. As the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit can be resisted or
opposed by believers who may choose to live disobediently or neglect their intimacy
with God. In fact, the fire of the Spirit can be diminished—even temporarily
seemingly snuffed out—if He is resisted. God wants us to fully enjoy and benefit
from the flaming power of the Holy Spirit. Have you been guilty of sins that
seemingly “extinguish” the Holy Spirit’s fire?
Grieve: To do something that seriously saddens, troubles, pains, hurts, or offends.
Quench: To extinguish; to suppress or stifle.
Checklist
1.
2.
Page 54 in the Student Lifelines
A candle, a glass that is taller than the candle, and a lighter (matches or other
ignition source)
Two slips of paper each containing the reference of one of the main points of the
lesson to pass out to two students before the lesson begins.
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General Lesson Format
Introduction
Did you know that the Holy Spirit lives within every believer (1 Corinthians 3:16)?
Ephesians 1:13 tells us that at the time of our salvation, we are sealed with the Holy
Spirit. In Ephesians 4:30 we’re told that believers are “sealed unto the day of
redemption,” which means that we can never lose the presence of the Holy Spirit.
That’s great news, isn’t it? It means we have God’s presence within us always.
Teacher’s Note: With the use of a lit candle, raise and lower a glass over it to show
how the effects of oxygen or the lack thereof influence the brilliance of the light.
Demonstration – Object Lesson
I’m going to use this candle as an illustration of how the Holy Spirit acts as a flaming
fire in our lives. In order for a flame to burn on this candle, you need a lighter and
oxygen. To make the flame grow, you need to add oxygen. To reduce the flame, you
take oxygen away. As I lower this glass, which represents sin, over the candle you
will see the flame diminish because I am reducing the oxygen. It will eventually go
out as I completely encase the candle. Why? Because I am allowing the flame to
consume the oxygen in the glass to the point where it starves itself and cannot sustain
the light. It will take a re-igniting of the candle once it receives sufficient oxygen for
it to burn again.
Let’s allow this glass to represent sin as it was used in the object lesson. The Bible
speaks of three distinct sins against the Holy Spirit. They are grieving the Spirit,
quenching the Spirit, and blaspheming the Spirit. The first two are sins—like the
glass—you may find extinguishing the Spirit’s fire within you. That’s what we want
to talk about in this week’s lesson. The third, blaspheming the Holy Spirit, is
something that may be discussed in a future lesson.
Content
When it comes to extinguishing effects on the Holy Spirit, the Bible is clear in
warning us not to grieve or quench the Holy Spirit. As the third person of the
Godhead, the Spirit guides us and teaches us. However, He does not make robots out
of us. We choose whether or not to encourage the Spirit’s influence in our lives,
which in Scripture is often related to a flaming fire. If we feed the fire of the Spirit
through obedience and a growing intimacy with God, we encourage growth in the
Spirit’s influences and activities in our lives. If we choose to live in disobedience to
God’s Word, or if we neglect our relationship with God, we are sinning against the
Holy Spirit and may very well extinguish the Spirit’s fire. Let me demonstrate:
Think of the Holy Spirit as a flame burning within us. Your relationship with God is
the oxygen. As you obey God and spend time with Him the Spirit’s flame will grow
brighter. Why? Because you have provided what is needed for the fire—your
obedience and closeness to God. As a result, you will sense the presence of God, will
be empowered to serve Him with greater passion, and will be sensitive to any offense
to Him.
Unfortunately, your disobedience or neglect of your relationship with God has the
opposite effect. The further you move away from Him, the dimmer the fire of the
Holy Spirit is within you. As the glass is placed completely over the candle, the flame
goes out. In the same way it is even possible to sin against the Holy Spirit to the point
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that the flaming fire of the Spirit is totally extinguished. The Holy Spirit is not
extinguished but our ability to sense his presence in our life can be extinguished or
diminished. You feel powerless and sense no closeness to God, and the warmth of the
Holy Spirit’s influence leaves you altogether. He’s still there, but you’ve
extinguished His flame. Can you remember times when you felt this way? When you
confess the sins in your life, God faithfully forgives them (1 John 1:9). It’s just like
when I remove this glass and relight the candle—the flame again burns brightly. The
warmth of the Holy Spirit is restored.
Teacher’s Note: Have the students turn to the Liven It Up! section and fill in the
missing words as you teach this lesson.
I.
Do Not Grieve the Spirit – (I.) Ephesians 4:25-32 (Have student read).
When you look at the context of these verses in relation to our key passage in
verse 30, you notice a list of sins or offenses which the writer, Paul, encourages
believers to avoid. For example:
A. Believers are warned not to lie (v. 25).
B. Believers are encouraged to avoid prolonged anger (v 26).
C. Believers are not to have bitterness or an unforgiving spirit (vv. 31-32).
In the midst of all these warnings we find our key passage in verse 30. Paul says,
“And grieve not the Holy Spirit.” This means doing something that seriously
saddens, troubles, pains, hurts, or offends the Holy Spirit.
These sins which Paul warned about (lying, anger, and bitterness) are some of
the very things that grieve, or oppose, the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:25-32).
Though these are certainly not the only sins possible for you to commit, it is
clear that these and other similar actions are considered sins against the Spirit.
Sin grieves the Holy Spirit and (I.) prevents the believer from being filled
with the Spirit. And, as we’ve discussed through our object lesson, sin in the
life of the believer can result in diminishing the Spirit’s influence in our lives,
and perhaps even extinguishing the Spirit’s flaming fire.
The good news is that just as in our object lesson, the flame can be rekindled. In
our illustration, the candle was relit and allowed to get plenty of oxygen, which
served to fuel the fire. Spiritually speaking, we know that a believer who has (I.)
opposed the Spirit by deliberate sin or rebellion against God can re-ignite the
flame of the Spirit by restoring a right relationship with God. We do this by
obeying the Word of God, as found in 1 John 1:9. Remember, although we may
snuff out the power of the Holy Spirit by our sinful actions, the presence of the
Holy Spirit within us remains forever (John 14:16), and the power of the fire of
the Spirit can be rekindled through restoration of our fellowship. When we walk
faithfully with God, we provide fuel to the power of the Spirit within us, and His
flame burns brightly.
II.
Do Not Quench the Spirit – (II.) 1 Thessalonians 5:17-21 (Have student read).
From the context of this passage, it is clear that Paul is again warning believers
against specific practices that could oppose the Holy Spirit.
A. Believers are encouraged to pray without ceasing (5:17).
B. Believers are to live in an attitude of thanksgiving (5:18).
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C.
Believers are not to (II.) treat prophetic messages with contempt (5:1920).
The central theme of Paul’s message was to avoid throwing cold water on those
who spoke a word of prophecy or who were ministering within the church body
just because one may not approve of their methods or style (1 Thessalonians
5:19-20). Remember, in the day Paul wrote, the written Word of God was
incomplete, and prophetic revelations came to some in the church through the
spiritual gift of prophecy. In 5:21, Paul encourages the Thessalonians to “Prove
(put to the test) all things and hold fast to that which is good.”
In modern day application, care must be taken never to discourage or hinder any
ministry that has come to the church and has been recognized as authoritative
and preserved by the Holy Spirit in Scripture. People who quench the Spirit are
seeking to extinguish, suppress or stifle the work of the Holy Spirit of God.
Similarly, those who negatively evaluate a minister, evangelist, teacher, or
speaker strictly on the basis of personal preference, style, eloquence, or similar
characteristics are in jeopardy of quenching the Spirit. They are treating the
accurate, biblical message of these ministers without due respect. Simply stated,
Christians must not (II.) discredit others in their ministry to God. When they
do, they’re putting cold water on the Holy Spirit’s fire that empowers and carries
along the Gospel message. Paul says, “Don’t do it!”
Matching Exercise
Teacher’s Note: By way of review have the students turn again to their Liven It Up!
section and give them a minute or two to match the list of characteristics and facts or
references with the specific sin against the Holy Spirit listed across the top of the
page. Use I. if it pertains to the first point, and II. if it relates to the second point.
Review their answers with them when they are finished.
Conclusion
Believers are indwelt with the Holy Spirit, but by their actions or attitudes they can
hinder His work in their lives. Specifically, grieving the Holy Spirit will extinguish
the Spirit’s fire because of sin that has taken root in the believer. Quenching the
Spirit is another way to oppose the Holy Spirit, and involves the believer’s disrespect
or discrediting another’s ministry which has been shown to be biblical and edifying
to the church. The good news is that believers who commit these sins against the
Holy Spirit can also take action to re-ignite the Spirit’s flame and power in their
lives. If you’ve been guilty of these sins, make it right by confessing and forsaking
your sinful action. The result will be a restored relationship with God and the benefits
of the Holy Spirit’s fire burning brightly within you.
Teacher’s Note: You may elect to go back to your illustration at the Conclusion.
Light the candle once again and allow the flame to glow brightly. Close with a prayer
of dedication.
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 When you confess the sins in your life, God faithfully forgives them (1 John
1:9).
 These sins which Paul warned about (lying, anger, and bitterness) are some of
the very things that grieve, or oppose, the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:25-32).
 The presence of the Holy Spirit within us remains forever (John 14:16).
 The central theme of Paul’s message was to avoid throwing cold water on
those who spoke a word of prophecy or who were ministering within the
church body (1 Thessalonians 5:19-20).
How brightly is the Holy Spirit burning in your life? Do you sense His presence and
power? Examine your life carefully. Is there some intentional sin that you have
refused to deal with that is grieving God? It could be that right now you have realized
that you are grieving the Holy Spirit because of a sin that you need to confess and
forsake. Have you been guilty of dishonoring a minister who is building up your
church body? Confess that to the Lord, too. Would you do it now?
Reference Materials
Thomas L Constable, “1 Thessalonians” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, ed.
by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (Colorado Springs: Victor Books, 19831985), 2:708-709.
Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago: Moody Press, 1989),
264-5.
Discipleship Groups
Discussion Starters
1.
2.
3.
What are some ways we can grieve the Holy Spirit?
What is the result of grieving the Spirit?
How do we avoid quenching the Holy Spirit?
Try This Week…
Teaching a Sunday School Class: Use what you have learned here to explain the
sins against the Holy Spirit to a group of older children.
Teacher Source
Others sometimes feel distant from God. Here’s a brief video (2:49) that can be used
as an Introduction or later on for some great Discussion Starters.
http://www.bluefishtv.com/Store/Downloadable_Video_Illustrations/5391/God_Feel
s_Distant
Suggested Videos
You may wish to check other video clips from: www.sermonspice.com or scripts and
dramas from: www.skitguys.com.
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