Aren

1
Arent You Rooted in Bitterness?

• Hebrews 12 14-15 
• 14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness,
  without which no man shall see the Lord
•  15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the
  grace of God lest any root of bitterness
  springing up trouble you, and thereby many be
  defiled

2

• Bitterness Destroys
• Ahithophel II Samuel 171-2  
• 1 Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me
  now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will
  arise and pursue after David this night
•  2 And I will come upon him while he is weary and
  weak handed, and will make him afraid and all
  the people that are with him shall flee and I
  will smite the king only
• Davids and Absaloms advisor
• Bathsheba was Ahithophels granddaughter for his
  father, Eliam, was his son. II Sam113

3

• When Hushai, Absaloms other advisor who secretly
  supported David, had his counsel approved over
  Ahithophel, he killed himself
• II Samuel 1723 - And when Ahithophel saw that
  his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass,
  and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his
  city, and put his household in order, and hanged
  himself, and died, and was buried in the
  sepulchre of his father.
• Bitterness causes results
• Antisocial
• Proverbs 1410 - The heart knoweth his own
  bitterness and a stranger doth not intermeddle
  with his joy.
• Selfish, inconsiderate of others, withdrawn from
  others, indifferent or adverse to conventional
  standard of social behavior

4

• Lack of grace orientation
• Job 917-18 - For he breaketh me with a tempest,
  and multiplieth my wounds without cause.
• He will not suffer me to take my breath, but
  filleth me with bitterness. Why God let his
  happen to me? He didnt understand Gods plan.
• Bitterness motivates complaining
• Job 711 - Therefore I will not refrain my mouth
  I will speak in the anguish of my spirit I will
  complain in the bitterness of my soul.

5

• Bitterness motivates gossip
• Psalm 643 - Who whet their tongue like a sword,
  and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even
  bitter words
• Bitterness ruins other peoples lives
• Hebrews 1215 - Looking diligently lest any man
  fail of the grace of God lest any root of
  bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby
  many be defiled (emphasis)
• Solution for Bitterness
• Confession of sin
• I John 19 - If we confess our sins, he is
  faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
  cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

6

• Filling of the Holy Spirit
• Galatians 5 22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit
  is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
  goodness, faith,
•  Meekness, temperance against such there is no
  law.
• Study and Mediation on Gods Word
• Psalm 11911 -Thy word have I hid in mine heart,
  that I might not sin against thee.
• Forgive
• Matthew 614-15 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.

7

• Joseph
• Genesis 50 17 - So shall ye say unto Joseph,
  Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy
  brethren, and their sin for they did unto thee
  evil and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass
  of the servants of the God of thy father. And
  Joseph wept when they spake unto him.
• 20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me
  but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as
  it is this day, to save much people alive.
• Forgiveness gives you the freedom