Bitterness Digging Up the Root

Perhaps there is someone here today who's been victimized by someone. Someone has injured you, let you down, betrayed your trust. Perhaps that person has been a source of great disappointment to you and great discouragement to you.

You are experiencing bitterness because of this very real injury and you don't know what to do. It seems at times that this bitterness won't ever leave you. It's like a bitter herb that spoils the taste of things you used to enjoy in life.

Today we are going to explore the topic of bitterness and with God's help be purposeful to dig up the root of bitterness that has been troubling us and causing us discomfort. The title of my message today friends is bitterness digging up the root and we will examine three aspects of this subject. Number one, the cause of bitterness.

Number two, the cancer of bitterness. And number three, the cure of bitterness. Our text today friends is found in the book of Hebrews in chapter 12.

You can turn in your bibles there now. We will explore the root of bitterness and how to recognize it, how to destroy it, and do away with it. We will be in Hebrews 12 and verses 12 through 15.

Let me read this passage to us at this time. Here now is the word of God and may the spirit of God be pleased to attend the reading of his holy word. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees.

I want to pause here friends. Our text gives us a picture of a person who is depressed, downcast in soul. Their hands hang down in discouragement.

Even their knees are feeble for they feel they are not up to the task before them. They have little strength to carry on. They seem to exist under a dark cloud of both discouragement and disappointment.

And these are the twin weapons of the devil that he assaults the life of a believer with. His weapons of discouragement and disappointment. Listen friends, if the devil can get you discouraged and disappointed he will darken your day.

He will rob you of the sunlight in your life. I know of which I speak. This entire message has been my recent experience until God began to shine the rays of his truth and mercy and grace into my own life for me to recognize this root of bitterness in my own soul.

I believe incarnate preaching is that which has been experienced by the messenger himself. So we see in our passage how the hands hang down in discouragement and perhaps even despair for the knees are even feeble. We feel as if we have no strength to combat our enemies nor conquer any obstacles.

We're living in defeat so to speak. That's what bitterness will do to you friend. It will put you into a life of defeat.

You won't be able to operate at your level best. You will not reach your full potential. Bitterness is undermining all you do and it's holding you back from real progress.

Now let us look at verse 13 and make straight paths for your feet unless that which is lame be turned out of the way but let it rather be healed. Now let me pause here again friends to ascertain what this text is saying. It speaks of making straight paths for your feet.

This insinuates that you are off the trail. You are out of the way. You are traveling a path of resistance.

A path with stones that trip you up. A way with boulders that block your way. You seem to be out of step with God and out of step with your fellow man.

Your path which you've been on is the wrong path. A misdirected path. One of hardship and struggle.

Full of obstacles and frustrations. Our text is calling us to straighten out our path. To get back in step with God and back in harmony with men.

In fact we see this to be the very case as we read the of verse 14. Follow peace with all men and holiness without no man shall see the Lord. Let me pause there friends.

Let me stop and ask you a question. Is there a person that has hurt you? Is there someone or some individuals who have deeply wounded you? It's a real hurt. A real injury.

And when you see them, you see their anger. To just think of them upsets your apple cart for the day so to speak. Or perhaps the person who injured you isn't even on this planet anymore.

For death has removed them. But the pain of their injury to you lingers on. Whatever the case.

You've been hurt and it's natural to feel anger. It's natural to be bitter. Those are real emotions.

But our text calls us to a higher road. Follow peace with all men. That means even those who have hurt you.

Those have let you down. But there is no peace between you now but war. War is a terrible thing friend.

War is a destroyer. War leaves damage in its wake. But peace on the other hand is stillness and tranquility.

But you have no tranquility of soul at the moment because your peace has been robbed of you. But still our text says to follow peace with all men. Our text also speaks of holiness.

A life of holiness. Well how can we live a life of holiness if we're out of step with God by being out of harmony with men? What will we have? Will it be the religious behavior of the Pharisees? They were dutiful men. Religious men.

But men out of step with the heart of God. They were deceived men. Although they looked down their long noses at the sins of others.

They were blind to their own faults and sins. They wore a long cloak of self-righteousness. But they were not holy men of God.

I want us to read the last verse in our passage now friends. Looking diligently lest any man fall of the grace of God. Lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you and thereby many be defiled.

I will stop there. We are told by the writer of Hebrews to look diligently. To be alert of our surroundings.

To see things as they really are. In essence we are to recognize what is troubling us at mid of our condition. To be totally honest with ourselves regarding our current situation.

In regard not so much to our circumstances but in regard to our own heart. We are to examine ourselves. To ask God to show us our heart.

You see friends a root does not appear on the surface of the ground. It lies deep below. At times that root will break through the ground and show itself.

But normally roots are below. Hidden below the surface. What is hidden below? In the surface of your life right now friend.

What is going on with you right now in relation to man. In your relation to God. Examine the roots.

This is the very thing our text is telling us to do. It speaks of a root of bitterness which springs up to trouble us. And like a tree root would spring up and disrupt the surface of the earth by showing itself.

A root of bitterness in the soul will spring up and display its ugliness as well. By disrupting our own peace and the peace of those in our lives. The root of bitterness of heart will be troublesome and perhaps even defiling.

So we're warned to recognize this root and to do something about it. Lest any man fail of the grace of God. This speaks of backsliding.

We are to be watchful over our hearts and souls. Lest we backslide away from the God of our souls. Now I want us to see the cause of bitterness.

The cancer of bitterness. And the cure of bitterness as we proceed. First let us examine the cause of bitterness friends.

The cause stems usually from a circumstance or a person. A circumstance has occurred in our life which has made us bitter. Perhaps we lost a job.

Perhaps we lost a loved one. Perhaps we've lost our health or finances. Whatever the circumstances may be.

It has caused us great hardship and we are bitter because of it. Or perhaps our cause of bitterness is from a person or persons. They have let us down.

They have injured us personally. They have lied about us. They've done something so upsetting to us that we feel victimized and abused.

We don't deserve how we've been treated and we resent it. We resent that individual or persons. And there are even rarer occasions but very real indeed where both circumstance and individual have come against us.

We feel overwhelmed by the betrayal. The trust broken. The attack upon us.

The seemingly bad luck which has befallen us. Whatever the reason we see the cause of bitterness. The root takes hold in our lives and begins to grow.

Now let us look at the result of bitterness which is the cancer of bitterness. When a cancer attacks the body it spreads and wrecks havoc on our good cells. Cancer is a deadly disease that spreads if not caught in time and cut out entirely.

When my mother had breast cancer it was in stage two. It was spreading but they caught it in time and it was dealt with by proper medical procedure. The cancer of bitterness is a spreading disease as well friends.

For like cancer the root of bitterness spreads into every area of our life. It gives us rotten disposition. It steals our joy.

We are easily angered. We have a prevailing negative attitude because of that cancer of bitterness. It spoils the taste of life's enjoyments and if not caught in time and dealt with properly it will end up in depression.

We will become even antisocial. Impatient with others. Our facial expression will look like we just sucked on a lemon.

Our smile is gone. Everything is bitter in life when that cancer of the root or bitterness spreads its deadly disease. Let us look at the cure of bitterness.

First the disease must be diagnosed, recognized. Then the remedy must be applied. The cure so to speak.

If it is a person or persons who have injured us then we must admit that the best of men are only men at best. People will disappoint us but we must not maintain an unforgiving heart because bitterness festers in unforgiveness and it's a hindrance to God's blessings. We have scripture which is very clear on this.

Let me read these to you. Matthew 6 14 and 15. For if ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly father will also forgive you.

But if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your father forgive your trespasses. Mark 11 25. And when you stand praying forgive if ye have ought against any that your father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Luke 6 37. Judge not and you shall not be judged. Condemn not and you shall not be condemned.

Forgive and you shall be forgiven. We need to ask God to give us the grace of forgiveness. This is the first step to healing friends.

This is a must. There must be forgiveness or the root of bitterness will never go away. Let me read you Job 42 10 which states.

And the Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends. Also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. The captivity of bitterness soul must be released.

Pray for those who have injured you. This is hard but do it friend. Do it and feel the release.

Then release all your hurts to the lover of your soul Jesus. Jesus drank a cup of bitterness for us already when he went to that cross and hung there and bled there and suffered and died there for our sins. He knows what it's like to drink a cup of bitterness.

Give that cup to him. Nail it to that cross. Be done with it friend.

Now look at what it says in Psalm 51 12 and 13. Look what David says. Restore unto me the joy of my salvation and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors thy ways and sinners shall be converted unto thee. When we get back into a right relationship with God and our fellow man then God can use us as he desires to bring others to him for salvation of their souls. Sinners shall be converted unto thee.

When we realign ourselves back to God through forgiveness of those who have wounded us then we are put back into a red hot love relationship with God and he can then use that empty vessel and fill it with his presence and uphold me with that free spirit. We will then experience the joy of our salvation once again. Our walk with God will be restored.

It'll be ignited. Our walk with our savior will be reignited and our heart will be stirred within us to live our lives for God and his glory not for our own selfishness and bitterness. Give it up friend.

Give it to God. Only he can bring the necessary healing by his spirit and grace. Bitterness and its destructive root must first be recognized, dealt with, and dug up entirely to be set free and to be filled with the Holy Spirit in an auction and power-filled life.

A usefulness to the father for the good of his people and for his great glory. Let me lead us in prayer. Great God, I admit I have been a bitter person lately.

I need your help, O Lord. Cleanse me, I pray. I don't want to be a bitter person, but a better person.

I want your best for me, Lord Jesus. Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. Right now, I pray.

I hand you, Lord Jesus, all the pain and injury and hurt feelings. I give all these pieces of bitterness to thee. For you drank that cup of bitterness for me.

I want to smile again, Lord. Give me the joy of my salvation. Let your joy flood my soul and may I be used of thee to advance your kingdom work for your great glory.

I pray all this in the strong name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.