Matters Of The Heart-2-The Root Of Bitterness

It's part two of Pastor Brad's series called Matters of The Heart. In this podcast, we will learn about The Root Of Bitterness.

Pastor's notes:

TEXT
Hebrews 12:12-16 NKJV
Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or [a]profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.
INTRODUCTION
Good evening, everybody!
I hope you enjoyed the teaching this morning. Tonight is going to be a continuation from this morning as we looked at breaking free from offense.
Why do we need to break free from offense? It can turn into infection.
ILLUSTRATION
There have been many people die unnecessarily. Small infections left unchecked can cause horrible damage to your body.
What affected just a small part of the body has now spread and affected other parts of the body, causing death and decay.
TRANSITION
Such is the same with offense. When offense is left unchecked, it spreads to a vicious disease called bitterness. Offense primarily affects one person, but bitterness spreads to many.
A little bit of contaminate in a lake can defile the whole population of fish. So it is with bitterness.
BACKGROUND
In our text, the Hebrews writer tells us that we need to pursue peace. Life is simply too short to live in turmoil. He then tells us to pursue holiness, because without it, we will not see the Lord. He then tells us to watch out for a root of bitterness.
Why watch out for a root? Because a root produces fruit!
APPLICATION
With so much on the line, it is wise to ask ourselves often, "Am I bitter?"
Since bitterness is a sleeper sin, the answer isn't always obvious. Here are four questions to help you spot a bitter root.

Am I constantly replaying the situation?

Do you find yourself constantly replaying the tapes of a conversation with someone?
When you interact with them, do you spend days rehashing every word or body language cue?
Bitterness flourishes in the soil of justification. We feel like we have a right to feel that way.
I’ve found that when I fixate on my interactions with a specific individual, I’m looking for justification for the anger or frustration I’m feeling. That ought to make us self examine.
2. Is my mouth bitter?
Romans 3:14 says, “Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
There’s a connection between the junk that comes out of our mouths and the bitterness that tends to take root in our hearts.
Luke 6:45 says that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
- Do you find yourself losing your cool often?
- Are you critical, snappy, rude?
Maybe the sins you’re committing with your mouth are simply an extension of the bitterness that you’ve allowed to grow in your heart.
If you’re trying to deal with the way you speak and gaining no ground, it's possible that you need to dig deeper and yank out the root of the problem.
3. Am I sick all the time?
Psychologist Dr. Carsten Wrosch has studied bitterness for fifteen years.
He says:
When harbored for a long time, bitterness may forecast patterns of biological dysregulation (a physiological impairment that can affect metabolism, immune response or organ function) and physical disease.
Scientists have concluded that bitterness, if left unchecked, interferes with the body's hormonal and immune systems. Bitter people tend to have higher blood pressure and heart rate and are much more likely to die of heart disease and other illnesses.
Of course, the apostle Paul didn't have access to this scientific data when he wrote much of the New Testament, but that didn't keep him from connecting the dots between bitterness and our bodies. In Acts 8:23, Paul  states "For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity."
Bitterness is literally a poison!
It's a bile, which is a bitter substance that can literally make us sick.
4. Is my crowd bitter?
The “bitter root” in Hebrews 12:15 is first described in Deuteronomy 29:18:
“so that there may not be among you man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations, and that there may not be among you a root bearing bitterness or wormwood;”
Like all weeds, bitterness has a way of spreading. This passage describes one possible progression. A man infects his wife. She infects her children. The bitterness spreads, and soon the whole tribe is infected.

Is your marriage marked by bitterness?
Are your children bitter?
Does your group of friends tend to sit around and gripe?
Is the church filled with harsh and angry people?
Is your community of friends prone to placing blame?


CONCLUSION
As I challenged you this morning, this is something that we must let go of!