November 11, 2022

THINKS THAT BRINGS US DOWN TO MISS THE CROWN

Speaker:
In The Year of the Lord's Goodness and Abundance
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BITTERNESS (2 Samuel 13:1-5)

PART A

Introduction

Bitterness is known in the Bible as spiritual poison and a means by which many are defiled (Hebrews 12:15-16). It is the source of countless spiritual and physical problems in millions of lives today. The Bible tells us that MANY are defiled by the means of bitterness. Bitterness can be tricky to recognize because it’s not a symptom or visible on the surface like anger usually is. Many claim that they aren’t an angry or hateful person, but that’s not what bitterness is all about. Bitterness is an underlying problem that doesn’t always manifest on the outside, but dwells in that person’s system.

  1. HOW BITTERNESS GROWS IN A PERSON’S LIFE

  • Bitterness is a root! Hebrews 12:15

It is a hidden element that lies under the surface, and out of it springs up anger and other negative emotions against others and against the circumstances around us. People who have a root of bitterness find it easy to get upset over things that others are doing around them. Families are tarred apart because of bitterness.

  • Bitterness can be kept to one’s self and finally causes harm.

Now many of these people, who have been hurt, don’t express it on the outside, but rather hold the hurt and bitter feelings inside where they fester and grow.

Story of David’s Sons; Amnon, Absalom, and Tamar

  • Amnon hated Tamar after rapping her, 2 Samuel 13:15

  • It doesn’t matter Absalom says to his sister, sometimes we say this. 2 Samuel 13: 20.

  • When bitterness is kept for long two full years. 2 Samuel 23; 28-29.

  • Absalom sent Ahithophel (official of David a great worshipper), a scheme to capture the kingdom 2 Samuel 15:12.

  • Ahithophel advice (How can a spiritual man give such an advice) 2 Samuel 16:20-23.

  • A hithophel (Grandfather of Bathsheba) was also wounded by David because he slept with Basheba, so two poisoned men kept anger for many years (2 Samuel 23:34) (2 Samuel 11:3-4)

  • Ahithophel killed himself because of bitterness(2 Samuel 17:14) and Absalom also died a painful death because of bitterness (2 Samuel 18:9-10)

PART B

  1. THE IMPACT OF BITTERNESS

  1. Bitterness distorts your reality. 

Bitterness destroys our minds, souls, and bodies. John Ortberg Jr. wrote, “Bitterness is like drinking rat poison and waiting for the rat to die.” Eventually, bitterness will kill us either physically – because it can contribute to physical sickness – or spiritually by not allowing us to experience the peace God wants for us.

When you are bitter you lose sight of your reality.  You lose sight of God’s provisions.  Your view gets distorted by the condition of your heart.  You see things as you want to see them and not the way they really are.  You build a case to support how you feel (Luke 15: 28-30).  You keep lists of things that contribute to your bitterness fresh in our mind.

  1. Bitterness impairs your judgment (2 Samuel 17:14)

When you get bitter, you lose your ability to judge properly. For a Hithophel He would rather die than see David rule.

  1. Bitterness breaks up relationships Colossians 3:8

When you get bitter, you hurt.  And when you hurt, you will hurt others.  That’s how your relationships get broken up. 

  1. Bitterness afflicts your spirit. 

You’re not accomplishing what you hope to accomplish when you get bitter. Your prayer life is affected every day, you lower your dignity, you judge everything that comes across you and you lose sight and focus.

  1.  HOW TO OVERCOME BITTERNESS

Because bitterness is a deep and continual feeling, it takes time to find a way to defeat it. There is no instant cure. But there are steps we can take to overcome bitterness

1. Reexamine yourself

This involves not only recognizing the impact bitterness has caused in your life, but also evaluating whether your view of a person or situation is even accurate or worth your attention.

We should pray for those who have hurt us – Romans 12:14-21

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone” Romans 12:17

When you have unproductive thoughts like bitterness, try praying for the person who hurt you.

2. Take responsibility for your part.

God knows what really happened and who had fault in it. Since we can only control ourselves, try to critically evaluate what part you may have had in the problem.

Allowing God to be the judge and deal with a situation in His time frame can be one of the greatest ways to overcome bitterness.

3. Forgive.

In Matthew 18:22 Jesus said that we must forgive 70 times seven times. This isn’t about math; it’s about developing a forgiving heart. It can take a long journey of continual forgiveness to end bitterness and strife.

4. Don’t go it alone.

Isolation feeds the bitterness, which can not only alter your personality, but also damage your health and your faith in God.

Most important, pray. Pray to overcome the bitterness and pray to forgive. Understand that it can take a while when the hurt is deep. It’s important to never lose our relationship and connection with God, no matter what.

Conclusion

The solution to all this trouble is to put all bitterness away from you, Eph 4:30-32.  You’ve grieved the Holy Spirit.  He can’t work with liberty in your life.  The blessings he would like for you to enjoy are restrained from you until you can get past this hurdle.  He wants you to be “kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.”  The solution is not to get what you want in your bitterness.  The solution is for you to get better by getting rid of this bitterness.  Put it away from you, like Paul said.  That’s the only thing that will work.