Heb.12:14,15 Watch out for Bitterness
Intro:
Yrs ago I used to like to watch the TV show Home Improvement Tim the Tool man Taylor (Until became
raunchy like everything else)
A)But I enjoyed watching Tim start these Projects that would always end up being more complicated difficult than he imagined
B) His Wife would always
– question –Are You sure you should do that
Tim? No PROBLEM HONEY – Some
disaster happen
1) I liked it because it wasn’t far from the Truth
C) Most of us don’t
enjoy – Home Projects – especially when they turn into bigger project than we
first anticipated { Experiencing that right now}
We
bought a house about 2 yrs ago – older home 5 full grown liquid Amber trees in
the Backyard
A)Pretty trees – good Shade / but when leaves fall –
Mess / Little thorny balls – really hurt if you step on one, my kids found out
B) But the Biggest
problem w/ these Particular trees was their root system
1)
Instead of Growing
down they grow out Roots grow out huge like tree trunks / completely destroyed
the Concrete Patio
C) So a few months ago
we tore out the old cement & are getting ready to do a new patio – There
were these Huge Roots everywhere – 20 ft
1)
Massive work to get
those babies out
Well
today in our study we are going to talk about a root that if given a place to
grow in the soil of our hearts / it too can grow big & do some considerable
damage to our Lives – Root of
BITTERNESS Rd v.14-15
A)V.14,15 We noted on Wed. is
talking about our Conduct as Believers Pursuing Peace w/ others = Loving others
1)
Holiness w/ the Lord
–Love for the Lord - If those things
are not evident in our lives ( No one will see the Lord in us )
B)
Then in v.15 He mentions 2 things to watch out
for /Watch out that we don’t fall short of the grace of God –( talked what
means on Wed.)
1)
2nd Watch
out for BITTERNESS, where by many become defiled
C) The Phrase Looking carefully is derived from the same word
that Peter uses in 1Peter 5 in telling the Elders of the Church
1) to
watch out for Wolves that come into the Flock – dressed like Sheep
D)So using that same
word – the writer of Hebrews is saying Check out your heart – Examine it Watch
out for Roots of Bitterness
1)
That can come in &
destroy the Temple of Your heart
Oswald Chambers If there is the tiniest grudge in your mind against anyone
... your spiritual penetration into the knowledge of God stops.
E) But When Bitterness
takes root in a life – it defiles not just that person’s t life but everyone
that they come in close contact w/.
Just
like w/ the concrete in my Back yard Those roots of Bitterness have the
potential to destroy even the most solid of foundations / structures
A)I have personally witnessed roots of Bitterness that destroyed marriages / Friendships / defiled families ( Seen people go insane)
B) Bitterness has Even destroyed
Vibrant Churches & Ministries that God was really using –
1)
The fact of the matter is this – everyone of us daily deals w/ things & has encounters where the
seed of Bitterness is Planted
C)
The question is what do we do in those
situations Do we give the seed of Bitterness the opportunity to take root in
our hearts
As mortar hardens when
left alone to dry, so too our attitudes harden when left unnourished by the
light of God's word.
C) So we want to look at
what the Bible says about Bitterness – what Causes it & how it can be
avoided/ as well as dealt w/ when the
seed is planted
1st We need to
recognize the seed of bitterness: Bitterness is best defined as a hardened state that results from unresolved
anger.
A)The
American Heritage dictionary defines bitter or bitterness
as, "Proceeding
from or exhibiting strong animosity" or "Having or marked by
resentment or disappointment:
B)
Thayer's & Brigg's lexicon defines it as
"bitter gall” an extreme wickedness
a bitter root, that produces bitter fruit
C)
The Bible describes Bitterness as a POISON TO THE SOUL
that manifest itself in things like hatred slander gossip and even murder.
1)
Many examples – Cain killing Able / Joseph’s brothers selling him into
slavery / Absalom Killing His Brother Ammon
Now A "root of bitterness" is a biblical term for a smoldering anger
that is allowed to fester and grow into a grudge or secret hatred.
A)When
we choose to nurse anger at the wounds that we receive from others we can
expect to slide further down the spiral into
bitterness
B)
So The one thing that we should understand is that bitterness is much deeper
than the manifestations that follow it such as
1)
hatred, gossip, slander, anger and even murder. Bitterness is a root attitude of the soul.
C)
A root of Bitterness not only destroys us but affects those around us as well.
1) A bitter
person is an infectious person and stands to poison the souls of others around
them.
D) Sometimes we
can look like those Liquid Amber trees on the outside pretty / But when it’s fall – Messy / thorny /
1) That Root of Bitterness is slowly eroding
away everything around us
Listen to this
testimony of bitterness from a lady toward her ex- husband . Her insights are
Stirring & Profound
Bitterness had taken on a life
of its own with all the demands of a jealous lover. It pushed away all my other
personal relationships so I could nourish its demands alone. Bitterness promised to always be
with me, to never leave me or forsake me.
I
fed it though daily journal writings of all the wrongdoings that my ex-husband
inflicted upon me. Each new day, bright and early, Bitterness and I would read my journal together
to ensure that the wall around my heart was hardening properly.
When Bitterness would see a
weak spot in my wall, he would fix it immediately, guiding my words and actions
to demand unreasonable expectations of my ex-husband. Bitterness spent much
time teaching me to master my skills by imposing burdens and hardships on those
who caused me so much pain. It became a fine art form
Little
did I know then that the bitterness I had so artfully
cultivated would lead to my own emotional ruin. My plan was to pay back pain to
others for the afflictions I had received. I wanted justice. I wanted revenge. But bitterness
had blinded me to the difference
between the two. The evil bound up within me wanted to emotionally destroy another.
But as is always the case with a vengeful heart, it was I that was being
devoured by the monster I had created. While focused on revenge disguised as
justice, I failed to realize the sinful ramifications of my own behavior.
Crushing ocean depths of pain imploded on me while
on the surface a hurricane of rage lashed out at others. I daily soaked in my brokenness
of heart until every thought, word and deed was saturated in the brine of bitterness Such tainted water
nourished a twisted weed that pushed its long roots deep into my soul and
corrupted my entire life. My once bottled-up hatred was now escaping like
pressure-cooker steam from every pore of my being. It eroded my personal
relationships both inside & outside my family.
I became obsessed to the point of being emotionally
crippled,
resentful & depressed. I existed as the polar opposite to what Jesus was on
the cross. .
I was now the merciless tyrant that
Bitterness
longed for me to be.
That is a good depiction of the Damage that Bitterness causes in a Heart
So How do we deal w/ Bitterness? The first place that we
need to deal w/ Bitterness is in our Hearts
A)And only after
we have dealt w/ the bitterness in our hearts can we deal w/ the People who
planted the seed by the actions
B) There is a Profound Picture given to us in
the 15th Chapter of the Book
of Exodus – lets turn
C) The Scene: Children of Israel in
the Wilderness – thirsty longing for water – Pool up ahead – Water – run to it
– BITTER – MARAH
V.25 And he cried out to
the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the
waters were made sweet.
Note that the Lord showed Moses a tree that was already
there by the Waters of Bitterness – ( He said Cast it into the waters …. Sweet
)
A)The picture is
a Beautiful one – because by every Pool of Marah we face in our lives there is
a tree –
B)When that tree is cast
into those Bitter waters it turns the Bitterness
into sweetness. What is this tree? The Cross
1)
We cry out when we have been hurt – I want Justice to be served –
sometimes what we are really wanting is REVENGE
C)
Jesus says – JUSTICE WAS SERVED. 2000 yrs ago –
Calvary when I died on the Cross for that very sin that was done against you
1)
So throw in the tree – Throw in the Cross – Price was Paid / Justice
was served .
D)
Realize that Jesus paid the price for your sins & the sins that others have
done against you
1) In every situation we as believers are
called to Forgive / It is a
Non-negotiable, I am to forgive those who have wronged me period
I have found it good to follow Jesus example on the Cross He
cried Father forgive them they don’t know what they are doing
A)I have found that to be
real Helpful –people hurt me / my family / they are acting in ignorance – don’t
have all the facts /or Just Plain
stupid
B)FORGIVENESS
IS NON-NEGOTIABLE we are commanded to forgive those who have hurt us / wronged
us {We forgive because been forgiven}
1)
Based upon our Lord’s Example and Based upon the Fact that He paid for
that Sin on the Cross at Calvary.
C)
When we do that – when we forgive that seed of Bitterness doesn’t have a Chance
to take root in our hearts / Throw in the Tree.
1 Peter 2:23 23When they hurled
their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no
threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
David is another good example of this: King Saul was jealous
of David bitterness welled up in Saul’s heart because of God’s hand on David
A)Saul’s
bitterness & Jealousy left David in place of being a Fugitive living on the
run for close to 13 yrs
B)
Saul put David thru so much grief but in the mist of
it David was able to keep his heart Pure before the Lord – free of Bitterness
1)
When Saul finally Died in Battle & David was given the news His
heart Broke READ V.11
C)
David mourned all day afterwards he Spontaneously
wrote this Beautiful song / ( Song of the Bow ) that Praised Saul for
his good qualities
1)
It wasn’t like David thought – well this guy was real jerk, but the
Proper thing would be to give him a song as a tribute
D)
So he sat down and worked it out!! No the Song was a spontaneous outflow
of DAVID’S heart over the death of these two mighty men
Read a few verses
How did David
keep his heart free from bitterness
A)How did he keep himself in a place where he could speak so wonderfully about a man who had hurt him so much?
B) 1st David chose to trust in
the power and authority of God. He
chose to believe that God was in control
1) and must have a purpose even for terrible things
that He allows to happen.
C) Many, many times we
can only see the good in retrospect. If you can't see the good in something
terrible that has happened to you,
1)
you must simply trust
that it is there, and it will be revealed in time.
D) Joseph took that route too – You meant it for evil but God meant it for Good that many
would be saved
2nd
David chose to "let it go."
A)He chose not to hold
on to bitterness and hurt. David had two great opportunities to kill Saul, and "let him go" each time.
B) David’s "Song of
the Bow" in 2 Samuel 1 shows that this attitude was in his heart,
not only in his actions. (
Grieved over cutting Saul’s robe )
C) David could have
murdered Saul in his heart a thousand times over,
1)
This song reveals that
David held no grudge in his heart – He let Saul go in there as well.
D) To do this, David
must have kept a short account of the
wrongs Saul did to him.
3rd
David chose to think the best about Saul.
A)He couldn’t have
spontaneously said the things he said about Saul in the Song of the Bow unless
they had been in his heart and mind before that.
B) One of the
characteristics of love in 1 Corin.13 is Love thinks
no evil.
4th
David chose to keep doing these things.
A)Many people can set
their heart right for a moment, but it is quickly lost.
B)Whenever that happened
to David, he put his heart back in the right place
quickly.{ Not Giving Place to Roots of Bitterness }
C) Choosing this kind of
heart showed David to be a true "Man after God’s
Own Heart." Very Christ
like in His actions
D)It also showed that
the years in the wilderness, escaping Saul, really were years when God trained
him to be a king, and a king after God’s own heart.
1)
David would never
follow in the same tragic footsteps as King Saul.
E)
Is there a situation where you have the
opportunity to allow the Seed of Bitterness to take root
1)
Can I encourage you to
See it as a situation where Lord is seeking to turn you into a man or Woman
after his own heart –
So
forgiveness is a Non-negotiable – we are called to forgive because of the
extent that we have been forgiven.
A)Although forgiveness is a non-negotiable – RESTORATION depends upon REPENTENCE
B) See There were
several times that David could have Killed Saul –( the cave) instead he spared
him – then exposed the Opportunity
1)
Seeking to get Saul to
see that David wasn’t against him –
C) Saul would back down
for a while – go back home – usually out of guilt
1)
But then Bitterness
would start smoldering again – Go after David once more
D) So there was never
Restoration between Saul & David – even though David FORGAVE him time &
time again because Saul never really repented
1)
But David Knew in his
heart that He was right w/ God
So a root of Bitterness that isn’t dealt w/ but is allowed
to grow will destroy that Person & defile those He comes in contact with!!
A)But Just as a Root of Bitterness can Bring destruction / Forgiveness can be like freeing someone from Prison. Turn 2 Cor.2
B) In Paul’s first
epistle to the Corinthians he had to deal w/ a heavy issue man was involved
Sexually w/ his step mother
1)
The sin was being done
in the open & everyone in the Church Knew about it – but they were doing nothing – TOLERANT
C) Paul wrote to rebuke them for their Tolerance of the sin &
he instructed them to Confront the man & if he didn’t repent
1) throw the man out of the Church / deliver one to Satan for
the …..
they were to stay away
from him as long as he was in his sin
D) Well the Church went
along w/ Paul’s advice & it seemed to Bring good result because Paul writes
about that man in 2 Cor .2 :5
5But if anyone has
caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be
too severe. 6This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is
sufficient for such a man,
so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort
him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. 8Therefore
I urge you to reaffirm your love to him.
It seems that the Church was having a hard time forgiving & restoring this man after his repentance
A)Paul says now is the time to forgive & to comfort / reaffirm your love to him – so he isn’t eaten up by condemnation
B) Someone rightfully
said that the Church is the only army where we shoot our Wounded .
1)
Forgiveness releases
the Guilt –Frees the heart / people are longing for that – PACO
The story is told in Spain of a father and his teenage son
who had a relationship that had become strained. So the son ran away from home.
His father, however, began a journey in search of his rebellious son. Finally,
in Madrid, in a last desperate effort to find him, the father put an ad in the
newspaper.
The ad read: "Dear Paco, meet me in front of the newspaper office at
noon. All is forgiven. I love you. Your father."
The next day at noon in front of the newspaper
office 800 "Pacos" showed up. They were all seeking forgiveness and
love from their fathers.
Years after her
concentration camp experiences in Nazi Germany, Corrie ten Boom met face to
face one of the most cruel and heartless German guards that she had ever
contacted. He had humiliated and degraded her and her sister. He had jeered and
visually raped them as they stood in the shower. Now he stood before her with
hand outstretched and said, "Will you forgive
me?" She writes: "I
stood there with coldness clutching at my heart, but I know that the will can
function regardless of the temperature of the heart. I prayed, Jesus, help me!
Mechanically I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me and I
experienced an incredible thing. The
current started in my shoulder, raced down into my arms and sprang into our
clutched hands. Then this warm reconciliation seemed to flood my whole being,
bringing tears to my eyes. 'I forgive you, brother,' I cried with my
whole heart. For a long moment we grasped each other's hands, the former guard,
the former prisoner. I have never known the love of God so intensely as I did
in that moment!" To forgive is to set a
prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you.
To Not
forgive is to give into the Devil’s Schemes
9For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the
test, whether you are obedient in all things. 10Now whom you forgive
anything, I also forgive. For £if indeed I have forgiven
anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, 11lest
Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.
Now
this is heavy we can be instruments of Condemnation – keeping people in Bondage
& ourselves – Victory to Satan
A)By our unforgiveness / our Bitterness & our Judgmental attititudes
B) There is no Condemnation in Christ but there can be so much of it in his Church
1)
Or we can Show
Forgiveness & restoration – defeat the enemy freeing ourselves and others
To forgive someone
involves three things. First, it means to forego the right of striking back.
One rejects the urge to repay gossip with gossip and a bad turn with a worse
turn. Second, it means replacing the feeling of resentment and anger with good
will, a love which seeks the other's welfare, not harm.
Third, it means the
forgiving person takes concrete steps to restore good relations.