Bitterness

How are how are you doing, spiritually? How's the meeting, going for you? Are you getting warmed at all? I hope. Hope so.

And, is God concerned about this meeting? God's concerned when there are 7,000 people and God's concerned when there are seven people and God's concerned when there are are between thirty and forty people and we've had good crowds each night. And God is definitely concerned. Thank the Lord for what he's doing. But we're here tonight and tomorrow night and Friday night because there's more for God to do.

Let's pray for that end. Heavenly father, we pray for you to continue to bless and thank you for all you've been doing and we ask you Lord to work again tonight. In Christ's name we pray, amen. Let's take our bibles this evening and if you will, let's turn to Hebrews chapter 12 tonight. Hebrews chapter 12.

And if you don't mind, let's stand together again and we'll read the text. It helps you to stand before that long, long preacher but actually it's more just a good thing to do as we read the word collectively as a group. I like us to begin reading at verse 14. Hebrews chapter 12, remember we looked at Hebrews 11 the other day on faith in Hebrews 12 but tonight, Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 14. Follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.

Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness spring up trouble you, thereby many be defiled, lest there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau, who for one morsel of meat, sold his birthright. For you know not, for you know how the afterwards, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected, for he found not the place of repentance though he sought it carefully with tears. Heavenly father, again, we ask for your blessing. In Christ's name, amen. Thank you and you can be seated.

As we look at revival and the subject of revival, there is a subject that has not been addressed as much as it needs to be. I asked my pastor one time years ago, what should I be preaching on in our revival meetings and he said, well, let me tell you. I've been on the phone with 10 pastors this week and he said, all 10 of them said that there has been bickering and bitterness and strife and division and he says, what you really need to preach on for the Christian is a subject of bitterness. Well, it seems like it gets preached a lot but then, in in reality, it really is something that has to be preached on because we've gotta deal with this thing thoroughly if there's going to be open lines with God. Now, as we look at the subject tonight, I am going to preach on bitterness and as I look at that, I want to look at this simply.

First of all, I want to look at the reason for our bitterness. Second thing, I want to look at is the result of bitterness when we get bitter and then we'll look at the remedy for bitterness, okay? So, now you know, I've got three points tonight. Well, don't get too excited. I've got a bunch of points under my point.

So, we'll still looking at some things tonight. Alright. Now, the first is the reason for our bitterness. Now, from a human standpoint, there are situations that we find ourselves to be in that we think that we're justified in being bitter or a little bit troubled by something and usually, when we're bitter, we don't really say, oh, I'm a bitter person but the reality is, we can be bitter people but we'll call it just disturbed by something or we'll say that I'm a little hurt by something when in reality, we are in in bitterness about situations. Now, for me, some of you are familiar with me, some of you are not.

When I was a little boy, tragedy struck in my home. It was picture day at Limestone Grade School and my father committed suicide. Now, if I wanted to be bitter, I could be bitter about my father's suicide. And then I had a youth pastor who told me to live for God and he ended up getting kicked out of our church because of his immorality. I had a Christian school administrator who told me to live for God but then he was fired and he was accused of stealing $70.00 from our school.

Now, I personally think he did not do that but was falsely accused and either way, that could bring up bad feelings. Do you understand? Now, when that happened, there was a church split and guess what happened? My five best friends left in the church split. I was not allowed to call them.

I wasn't allowed to hang out with them and it was like my, honestly, five best friends were dead to me. Their parents didn't want me talking to him. My mom didn't want me talking to them. And so we go through these things that from a human standpoint would tend to make us bitter. Now, maybe you've been through something like a divorce or maybe you've been through something that even God did in your life that you didn't like and you think God gave you a raw deal and from a human standpoint, people might say you got a reason to be upset with the church or a reason to be mad about that or you got a reason, justifiable reason be this kind of bitter person.

But from a human standpoint, we might have that right but are we supposed to be people that walk after the flesh or after the Lord? And when we walk after the Lord, there is never a justification for bitterness. Now, how do we know that? It says, look diligently lest we fail the grace of God in verse 15, get it, lest any root of bitterness spring up trouble you and many be defiled and so what that teaches to us is that any kind of bitterness that we have, dad shot himself. My parent did something else to me.

The pastor at this former church did that or whatever it might be, those people said that about me. They should have never said those things. We, from a human standpoint, could be bitter but we can't be bitter if we're going to walk in the spirit. Now, the reason for our bitterness is we often think of the situation that we're faced with and what somebody did to us, what somebody did to someone that you love. I have a mother that I love and I've had some people do some pretty bad things to her.

And we could be bitter over all of these things. But the real reason that we are bitter is found in verse 14 or verse 15. It says, looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God. Now, what that means is that I fail to draw on God's power to get victory over my hurt and to get victory over my pain, to get victory over my attitude, and I fail to draw on God's grace to deal with the situation. So, what that means in a nutshell, anybody in here feel better feelings toward anybody?

Anybody in this room feel better feelings about any situation? Anybody in this room have this wroth or bad nerve that every time a situation comes up or something that you remember pops up or somebody is around you. This nerve, it's like the the nerve kicks in and you feel that horrible feeling. Well, you think that it's what somebody else did but the Bible teaches that when you got bitter, it's because you are the one who failed. Look diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God.

Meaning, if I got bitter over my dad's suicide, I'm the one who failed. If you got bitter over what the pastor did, that former pastor did, what that person said in the initial feelings, they come but there's an answer to get victory over making it turn into bitterness and that is that you have failed to draw on the grace of God. Now, what is the grace of God? I'll tell you that in a little bit as we look at the remedy for bitterness but what I'm simply establishing in the very beginning, you are bitter, you have bad feelings, you are angry, you are troubled, the one that failed to bring you to that point is you, not what someone did or is doing to you. Now, the second thing that I wanna look at is the result of bitterness.

Now, when we get bitter, this will be the result of it. Three things that I'll mention tonight. Now, the first thing that will happen when a person gets bitter is ruined relationships, ruined relationships. Now, first of all, it will be a ruined relationship man with man. Turn your Bibles to Matthew chapter 18 and verse 15.

Matthew chapter 18. Now, is there anybody that you have a strained relationship with in the church? The reason you've got a strange relationship, a strained relationship with them is because they maybe did something you didn't like and so you've become bitter toward them. Alright, Matthew 18 and verse 15. Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone.

If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. Now, when it is talking about gaining your brother, it is implying that you've kind of lost your brother. Now, that doesn't mean you don't know where he is. It means you're no longer close like you used to be. Now, I have seen people get married and then get divorced.

So, have you. I've seen friends go to the same church and serve the Lord together and then, leave the church and not even want to talk to the friend that was their great friend and you have two. Now, why does this happen? When I was a boy or when my children were little, they used to write me letters and they would write letters like, daddy, I love you and they would misspell the word love. They would spell it L U V.

Now, they were taking notes when I would preach on bitterness or offenses that happen in even a church setting, they would misspell the word offense and they would spell it instead of one word as two words. First word being A and the second word being fence, f e n c e. And how appropriate that is. When you think that somebody's not doing something right, guess what happens? You get an offense and so a fence goes up between you and them.

Alright. Somebody says something that they shouldn't have said and you have an offense so that fence goes up between you who should have LUV. So, what happened is bitterness was allowed to stay and so the fence comes up and that relationship is strained or even lost. Now, this is the result of bitterness and when we get rid of the bitterness, then, we get the relationship restored. Now, the Bible says, in Proverbs eighteen nineteen, a brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city and contentions as the bar of a castle.

Right? Now, listen, I have a brother-in-law and my brother-in-law and I used to be good friends and now again, we are friends. I was sharing this with a few folk in the church even earlier this week. There was a time when I had gotten hurt by him and I had no idea why he was upset with me because I honestly couldn't think of anything that I had done. And if I told you the story from my perspective, you would say, man, brother Mike ought to be in the trinity for the way he responded to this guy.

Now, I know that's exaggeration. But the idea is I couldn't think of anything I'd done, but he was mad at me and he hurt me and I saw a wall go up between us. We never would talk to each other. Family reunions wouldn't talk to each other and we would go to even the same church and we could not even enjoy being in church because we had this wall between us. But what happened in time because of God's grace, we were able to reconcile and we were fixed and the relationship went on to be better than it ever was before the infraction ever came.

Now, there is not a relationship that cannot get fixed but it also is not a relationship that cannot get ruined if personal offenses are done and bitterness is allowed to set in. So, the result of bitterness is sin separates. Bitterness separates us from each other. Now, can you think of anybody that you used to be very close to but now you're not because they offended you and you won't forgive em? Can you think of anybody that used to like you but now they don't because they won't forgive you.

The Bible says, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Those that hurt you or those that you hurt. The Bible here says, if your brother's offended with you, you go and you work it out and get that brother back In another passage in Matthew five says, if your brother has offended you, you go to him and you try to work it out. Now, the idea that we can just say, okay, well, whatever happens happens and this is just the way it is kind of sad and just let it go is unbiblical. If there is a schism, we cannot let it go because God says, see that there be no schisms.

First Corinthians chapter 12. So, how many divisions are acceptable without trying to fix them? None. So, there is a problem when we get bitter is there separation, right? Now, separation man with man but also the result is a ruined relationship with God.

Right now, why don't we say a ruined relationship with God? Let's look in the context again in Hebrews chapter 12 and I want you to notice verse 14, Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 14. Alright, it says, without what? Alright, Hebrews 12 and verse 14, follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall what? See the Lord.

Right now, without holiness, nobody is going to see the Lord. Now, how many would agree with me that if I'm saying, I want God's power but then I'm sinning that I'm not going to have God's power. Would you agree? Alright, how many would agree that if a person says, I want to walk with God. I want fellowship with God but they won't turn from their sin.

They're not going to have fellowship with God, right? Now, the Bible says, without holiness, no man will see the Lord and that is no man and then it adds this in the very next phrase. Verse 15, looking diligently lest any man fail the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you and thereby many be defiled. Now, you know what this is saying? What is the lack of holiness that's being talked about in this passage?

Bitterness. You can have Sunday school teacher on your chest. You are a Sunday school teacher. Listen, you can have this tag, deacon. You can have this tag, evangelist.

You can have this tag, soul winner. Giant in the faith. Servant of God and everybody will think that you walk with God but here's what God is telling us and may the Lord apply it to our hearts. God is saying, look, you can talk all you want but without this getting rid of your bitterness, you're not going to see God. Now, the devil has slain its thousands and adultery has slain its tens of thousands bitterness has done more damage to the cause of Christ than adultery has ever had time to do.

Bitterness is robbing us of God's power more than adultery's ever robbed us of God's power. Why? Because most of us are not doing the fornication. Most of us are not doing the adultery but there'll be people that were bitter toward. There'll be deacons, bitter toward their pastor.

There'll be pastors dinner toward their deacons. There'll be Sunday school teachers bitter toward other Sunday school teachers and there'll be people that are not at peace and there is at least an element of a schism. Now, I'm not saying it's happening in this church but I am saying this, without holiness, we're not going to see the power of God. No man will see God without holiness. Directly tied to the opposite with bitterness.

Now, are you a happy, joyful, deacon, Sunday school teacher, evangelist, pastor, nursery worker, soul winner? Are you a bitter, old cantankerous self absorbed crank? If you've got bitterness, you're not going to have the power of God on this church and frankly, This is true. Now, I can remember preaching a revival meeting and it was in Pennsylvania and all of these people were visiting. It was great.

Probably normally 120 people in the church and each night, we have between five and ten unsaved people each night and I tell you, I know what it's like. We get hurt and so because we get hurt, we can if we let ourselves get bitter. I've been there. So I'm not pointing a finger saying what's the matter with you, but I'm saying I had to come to the point where I acknowledged my spirit is wrong. Now, in this particular situation, I can remember that I was seeing and say people attend.

Honestly, people are coming. I was preaching with what I thought to be liberty but nobody was getting saved and I thought I was preaching pretty freely. There are times I preach and I feel like, boy, that was a dud and God works and there are times that I preach and I think, boy, that was a dud and you know what? It was a dud but anyway, this particular time I thought that it wasn't a dud. I thought God was given some freedom and the word was going and I felt led and confirmed in my soul.

I was doing the right thing but nobody was getting saved. And so I I was begging and asking God, is there something wrong with me? Is there something wrong with me? And sometimes there is and so I said, God, is there anything in me that you don't like? And sometimes it'll show me but this time, God did not show me anything and so I'm saying, Lord, what is it?

And it seemed like the Lord said, even though this was a good church, I've been there, they're good people, they had a good number, they had a lot of evangelism, they had a Christian school, they had a lot of good things going for them but nobody was getting saved. I said, Lord, what do I preach on to help this group of good people and then Lord said, preach on bitterness. So, I did. Now, it wasn't this sermon but I did preach on bitterness and as I was preaching, I was led to bring up what I got out of my devotions that morning. That particular morning, I'd had devotions.

See, I had devotions once. So, anyway, when I was preaching, what I had my devotions came out and that day, I had devotions on the rebellion of Cora. You familiar with that? One day, Cora went up to Moses and said, Moses, you take too much on you. You think that just because you're in this position of the leadership that you can tell us what to do?

And he basically said, you take too much on you. You're not the only spiritual person here. And he actually said, we're Levites and we're descendants of Levi. So we're just as good as you. Who do you think you are trying to call the shots?

And you know what? Sometimes it's like that in a local church people with their pastor. I'm sorry. Sometimes it is wrong. It's wrong.

See, God established Moses in that position. Not better than anybody but God put him there. Now, not a dictator but a leader, a shepherd And so here's what happened. I said as I preached and the bitterness crept in the Korah and the pride crept in the Korah and so God said I'll show you who I've established as a leader and he said come tomorrow and I'll show you. And so I preached about how God opened up the earth and swallowed Korah and his gang right into hell and swallowed them up.

That happened. Anybody remember that story? Wow. So God literally opened up the earth and swallowed Korah and all those people in hell. There were a lot of people well over a 100 and God struck them dead.

Didn't even give him a chance to die right into hell. He was done with that rebellion. And so you know what? God takes rebellion very seriously and I said God takes bitterness very seriously and then I went on and I finished preaching. I had no idea what I was preaching except I felt led the Lord to do it and here's the interesting thing.

Then service ended, I gave an invitation and only one woman walked down the aisle. Now listen, one And a 120 some people are there but one walked down the aisle. An elderly woman, a Sunday school teacher, a sweet woman, and a giant in the faith. And I thought in my heart, I'm so disappointed. Why is it that the only people that ever walked down the aisle are the people that are already right with God?

What is it gonna take to get some of these other people to break? And there's so much pride here. What is going on here? And so afterwards, I was a little disappointed. But anyway, I went to the pastor's house afterwards for something to eat.

Why? Because I'm a preacher. That's what we do. We eat. So anyway, I went to the pastor's house for something to eat and when I walk in, somebody let me in.

He was there sitting by the dining room table and he was a little over seventy two, seventy three and he was shaking and I was concerned. I thought, is he having a heart attack? Is he having a stroke? And he was literally shaking there and so I said, brother, are are you okay? And he looked at me and was shaking again.

He said, do you know what you did? I said, no, what did I do? And I was thinking, what did I do in the church service? I caused some problems and here she said, that woman, that woman, what woman? That woman who walked down the aisle at the end, that woman.

I said, yeah, why is it that the godliest people are the only ones who ever respond to God? And he said, that woman is the biggest complainer in my church. You know what that means folks? One person being a complainer can cause a whole lot of hurt. A whole lot of damage.

How many? One. How many? One. And so here's what happened.

She walked down the aisle and she got things right with God and you know what I think? I think she was afraid that God was going to open up the earth and swallow her into hell if she didn't get things straightened up. So, she was pouring out her soul up there and I had no idea and here's the interesting thing. She said the week before to her pastor, preacher, you're not the only spiritual person in this church. And she actually made this statement, we're just as spiritual as you and said we know our bible as well as you do and actually made this statement and I'm not exaggerating.

She pointed her finger at him, her sweet little finger, her sweet little hand that she would put on a child and just comfort them and that hand that did so many sweet wonderful things for the work of God and a good woman in many ways but a complainer. She had pointed her finger right at the preacher the week before and said, you think you're Moses and you think that assistant you've got over there is Aaron. Well you're not the only spiritual people in this church and I had no idea of it and God got her. Now let me tell you something, the next day five people got saved. And you know why?

Because bitterness was separating them from God. How many ladies? One. So if we have one person in this congregation always bitter, always causing this division and this fraction and the spirit is not right. If God could take the hand of blessing off a 120 people for one woman, God can take the hand of blessing off of 50 people for one woman or one man.

Amen? Or should we say oh my. And we need to look diligently lest we fail the grace of God. Now when we get our bitterness, the result of bitterness. I've took a little long on that but number one, the result of bitterness is ruined relationships, man with man, ruined relationships, man with God.

Now, the second thing, this will be a little quicker under this idea of point two, first separation, secondly, sin. Sin. Sin comes when we get bitter and now where do we get that? Take a look at Hebrews twelve fifteen. Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God think, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you and thereby many be defiled.

Think, lest there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau. Now get the progression. One way with bitterness going this way, it breaks our fellowship with God. Surrounded around bitterness going this way, it brings us into fornication. You know why?

Here's what happens. When somebody is hurt, what's the first thing you do? Try to find something to comfort them and try to find something to make them feel better. Now here's what'll happen with a teenage girl. She's hurt so what is she gonna do?

She's hurt by her dad, she's hurt by her brothers, she's hurt by her situation, so she's gonna try to find somebody who'll take away that hurt and she'll end up with some bum. Why? She goes into that sin with him because of the hurt that's in her heart. Now when a person is bitter, they have a tendency to do something to make themselves feel good and I'm not trying to be out of line here but many time people go into fornication, it is because it started with bitterness and they're responding trying to make themselves feel good so they do something they shouldn't. Look at something they shouldn't, do something they shouldn't.

Why? Wanna comfort themselves and just feel better. Let me tell you something, that's the seed bitterness. The act of fornication is the fruit. And when we understand why we do what we do sometimes it helps if we understand, okay, I'm bitter.

I better be careful unless I do something stupid and I need to take this hurt to God not take it to something that's gonna create more problems. Now, I was in a meeting in Manhattan. In Manhattan, A woman came up to me and she said, you're going to be mad at me, brother Mike and I looked at her and I said, I can never be mad at you. What are you talking about? I had been there five years earlier.

She said, you're going to be so mad at me. I said, well, why? And she said, because I started smoking again. And five years earlier, she'd given up her smoking and so I said to her, well, what happened? She said, well, this happened at work, this happened to my house, this happened to my family, and stress was so bad that I went back to smoking.

You know what happened? Bitterness. And so what did she do? Went back to what made her feel good. Everybody follow me?

Now, if you got a cigarette habit, see if there might be a reason you've got that cigarette habit and that is because you feel hurt. And so you're trying to do something to deal with it. You know what you should do? Choose a better option. Cast all your burden upon the Lord and he will sustain you.

How many think God would do a whole lot more for you than a box of cigarettes? God will help you. They will kill you. Now, why do people take drugs? They have all this hurt and they're trying to deal with their pain.

So, they take drugs and not just their physical but their emotional pain and what happened? A root of bitterness sprung up, grew in the tree, and they did something to just try to make em feel better. You know what some people do? They want to feel better. So, they overeat.

You know what some people do? They skip church and just chill. And that doesn't make them feel better. And you know what people do sometimes? They want to feel better?

They just let it fly and they cuss and they get mad and they say mean things. Why? They're dealing with their bitterness. You know what? Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth what?

Speaks. So what's the answer? The answer is don't choose fornication. Choose to cast your burden upon the Lord and let God take care of these things. Be aware that this is a result of bitterness and you can change if you understand why you're failing, you're failing because you let yourself get bitter and that's often the result of it.

So, one result is ruined relationships, another result is fornication or sin and basically, the result of bitterness, self destruction, self destruction. Alright, Hebrews twelve fourteen, 15. Looking diligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness spring up trouble you. Now I used to think, well I'll get back at that person, I won't talk to them. I'll get back at my mom, I'll stay mad all day and I'd have a chip on my shoulder and finally, somebody would say, what's wrong with you?

And I could say, my mom, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I realized this, my mom was back sipping coffee with her friends and I was ruining my whole day. Bitterness troubles you. One man said to me, as we were talking about the bus ministry has and I'm going to his church next week. I was there two years ago and I'm going there next week and he and I will usually go out while I'm there and last time we were out talking, he was talking about the bus route.

He was talking about the kids and he says, I bring em peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every Sunday. They don't give food. I give it to them and I love it and the kids love me and I love them and whenever I go up to their house, their parents are so glad to see me and they love me. I love the bus ministry. I love serving these children and their families.

I love it and then he said, but you know what? It's sad, brother Mike. He said, I got bitter at God over something that happened at church. And I didn't go to church for twenty years and he said and I missed twenty years of blessing Follow me. It troubled him.

So, don't let bitterness trouble you and keep you from enjoying coming to church. Don't keep you away from being happy and don't let it grow. Bitterness is a disease that'll just destroy every bit of your happiness. It'll ruin your marriage. It'll ruin your friendships.

It'll ruin your relationship with your parents, your brothers, your siblings, and it will be a cancer that will destroy the inside of your soul. Now, we've talked about these things, reasons for bitterness. We've talked about the reason that we're bitter is not what somebody did to us, not the situation, not my dad shot himself, not the Christian school, not my husband, not my wife, not this. Though people do us wrong. That doesn't mean that they didn't do wrong.

That doesn't mean they're not doing wrong. That doesn't mean they're not talking wrong. That doesn't mean they're not actually trying to hurt you. They might be but that doesn't give us a reason to be bitter. God says, let God take care of those things.

Now, the remedy for bitterness, I want to look at this and we'll be done. Alright, I'm going to give some things that have helped me that I saw in the Bible and let me ask you a question. Do I know everything in the Bible? Yes or no? No.

Okay? So, am I claiming that I've got the answer and then nobody else in the world has. Am I claiming that I have a full answer? I'm saying, I've got some things that will work and there maybe some other things that'll help you too but how many of you don't raise your hand would think of yourself as being someone who is bitter. I didn't take a drink out of this.

If you trust me, you can take a drink. You want some? You can have it because I don't want it because you might have drunk out of it. Okay, just pour it on her and throw the glass down on the seat. Okay.

Now, alright. Now, what do you do when something happens? Somebody does something to you. Somebody says something to you. Somebody is unkind and unreasonable and they hurt you.

Somebody makes a bad decision and you suffer because of it. What do you do? Alright, here is the remedy for bitterness. I look at Hebrews 12 and verse 15 and we've gotta begin to wrap this up but this is important. Looking diligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God.

Now, the key to this is the grace of God and I'm going to show you what that is in just a little bit but three things are four along the way. First thing you do when somebody does you wrong, let God take care of it. Let God take care of it. Romans twelve nineteen, vengeance is mine, saith the Lord, I will repay. Let God take care of it.

Is there anybody here you've tried to take care of it? And you've tried to do vengeance. Let God take care of it. The Bible says, it is impossible but that offenses will come but woe unto him to whom they come. It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and he cast into the sea then he should offend one of these little ones.

Younger, I heard about the mafia. And the mafia you probably have heard of mafia. The mafia used to execute people mafia style. And one way they do it is they put a five gallon bucket of cement. Don't you do this?

They pour it full of cement, and then they have the person stick his feet in the cement, or they would stick it in there for him. Then it would harden, and then their feet would be stuck in the cement. So then the mafia would just simply take the bucket of cement, go to a bridge over the water, and throw it over the bridge. And it would go down to the bottom of the river. It's just a bucket of cement.

But the problem is there was a person in that bucket of cement. And they would be taken down, and they would drown execution mafia style. And here's what God is saying. If somebody does you wrong, let God take care of it. Vengeance is mine.

Say, Lord, I shall repay. It'd be better for them to be executed mafia style, a millstone around their neck and hung and cast into the sea than to go through what I'm going to put him through if they don't stop hurting you. Now God will make things right if he doesn't make them right here. He will make them right there on the other side. How many believe that there is such a thing as eternity?

So, we let God take care of it. Number two, what do we do? We pray for them. Matthew five forty four, let's turn there briefly. Matthew five forty four, pray for them.

Now, even if you've seen this or heard this, please look at it. Digest this. Matthew five forty four. But I'm saying to you, love your enemies. Bless them that curse you.

Do good to them that hate you and what do you do to people that despitefully use you and persecute you? It says, pray for them. Now, as I was sharing with one of the friends from the church a little bit earlier this week about my brother-in-law did me wrong. You know what happened? As soon as he did me wrong and it really hurt me and my family, it cost us financially and everything.

As soon as I left, I began to pray for him when I was steaming out of that place and driving down the road. I prayed, God, kill him. Kill him and I prayed that way. That was years ago. Now, I'm perfect but that's when I wasn't perfect and I prayed, God, kill him and I meant it.

I was so angry. I meant it. And as soon as I prayed that full prayer, my tire on my car went and I had to pull myself together. That thing was going off the road and you know what? God got my attention and he was trying to tell me, stop it.

Get under control and so I got under control because God was telling me, you better stop that and so I stopped it and I began to pray differently. The way I started to pray was honestly, Lord, bless his life. Lord, meet his needs. Lord, bless his business. Lord, bless his family but I added but help him to see where he's wrong.

And I don't think there's anything wrong with that but what God says we do is we pray for them not that God will kill them but that God will help him and take care of it, help him to see if we can't get him to see it, okay? So, number one, what do we do when they do us wrong? I'm getting to the grace of God but let God take care of it. Number two, pray for them and then number three, draw on the grace of God. I'll I'll I'll add this as number three, do something good for the person who wronged you.

Matthew five forty four, do good to them that hate you. So when you do something good for them, it's awfully hard for you to hate the person you're doing good for. So that's a good thing that'll help you. But then, the most important thing is number four, let God take care of it, pray for them, do something good for the person who did you wrong, and then number four, the most important thing, draw on the grace of God. Draw on the grace of God.

Alright. Now, what is the grace of God? Hebrews twelve fifteen, lest we fail the grace of God, what is the grace of God? It is basically God's power when you need it. Now, if I I need to give a little commercial on something.

Turn your Bible over to first John chapter five for I'm sorry, Ephesians chapter two and I need to give a little commercial on something that is very important the grace of God in salvation. The grace of God in salvation. Alright. Now, Ephesians chapter two has three words in it. Mercy, love, and grace.

Alright, verse four, but God who is rich in mercy for his great love when he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickened us together with Christ by grace are you saved. There's mercy, love, and grace. Now, notice what he says in verse seven, that in ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness or love toward us through Christ. Verse eight, for by grace are you saved through faith. Now, these three words, mercy, love, and grace.

Love is, God loved us and died for us to save us from our sins. That's love. Mercy and grace though are very important on our understanding of salvation. I have mercy is don't give me the judgment I deserve. Do you know that before a person can ever get saved, they gotta realize that they need to get saved?

And there are people who will say, I always have been a Christian. Do you mean always? Well, when I was born, my parents were Christians. They they took care of me and brought me to church and I've always been a Christian. You cannot become a Christian till you first acknowledge you're a sinner.

And that's where mercy comes in. You know what mercy means? Don't give me the judgment I deserve. That means, please Lord, I know I deserve to go to hell but please have mercy on me. Lord, be merciful to me a sinner.

The man said in the book of Luke but then, there's the word grace. Now, what does grace mean? It means God gives us something good instead of the judgment we deserve. Simple illustration, my little boy drew when he was a little boy. Now, he's a 28 year old man.

When he was a little boy, he'd do bad things. I'd say, son, get in the bedroom. He'd get in the bedroom and I'd say, you're going to get a spanking. You're going to get two swats. You're going get three swats and I always spotted him in the well padded place that God provided.

It wasn't child abuse. So, anyway, he would go in there and he'd be waiting and he'd be thinking, no, I don't want to spank it and I come in and he'd say, daddy, please, I'll be good. I'll be good. Please don't spank me. I'll be good.

Please don't spank me. Sometimes, I wouldn't spank him. You know what? That was mercy. He didn't get the spanking he deserved but then, I never did this one but what if I did?

What if I said, okay, Drew, I'm not going to spank you this time. That would be mercy. Instead, I pull up my wallet and I pull out a $50 bill and I say, I'm not going to spank you. Instead, here's $50 Go buy a PlayStation four game. That would be grace.

I was on my way to hell and I should have been on my way to hell and so should you. But God has mercy. And we deserve to go to hell. So, he doesn't give people a judgment they deserve but instead, he pulls out his wallet and he says, here, instead of sending you to the hell, judge me deserve, here's the blood to pay for all of your sin and instead of giving us a judgment in hell, he gives us grace, a home in heaven. Something good instead of what we deserve.

Ain't that a beautiful truth? Now, folks, if you don't know that you're on your way to heaven, you cannot get to heaven until you first admit that you are not on your way to heaven without the grace of God. Now, but for us, when it comes to getting victory over bitterness, it is God's power when you need it to get victory over bitterness. Though the grace of God is simply God's power when you need it. Let me give a couple illustrations and we'll be done.

I can't explain the grace of God so I use illustrations and I hope it helps as a picture to understand it. When I was a boy, there was a cartoon that I liked. It was called Underdog. Anybody ever see that one? An underdog had a girlfriend named Sweet Polly Purebred.

We didn't watch these cartoons like they have today to make em turn out like Josh. We watch good cartoons that made us turn out like Rick Polar, Pastor Polar. No, I'm only kidding you, Josh. Okay. Now, but anyway, we would watch Bugs Bunny, Mighty Mouse, Good Wholesome Things like Mighty Mouse and Speed Racer and we'd watch those kind of things.

Well, anyway, underdog. Underdog would have a girlfriend named Sweet Polly Purebred and Sweet Polly Purebred would get caught by the bad guys and an underdog would hear her saying, oh where, oh where has my underdog gone? Oh where, oh where could he be? And his ear would pop up and he'd go to say sweet polypure bread. And when he would go, sometimes he would be weak, and the bad guys would catch him, tie him up.

He'd be on a conveyor belt going toward the big sawmill blade. And so at the end of the commercial, is he going to die? What's going to happen to our hero underdog? And now we take a break for NA debit commercial. And then they come back, and he was just this far from the blade.

But then when we come back, he'd be this far again from the blade. And then finally, he would get up there and we say, what will happen to underdog? Will he be sawn us under by Simon Borysinister and all that? And I know this is a little silly, but I'm headed somewhere. Then Underdog would say, if I can only reach that secret compartment of my ring, inside of my ring, there is an underdog energy pill.

And I could break free from Simon Barcinister and save sweet polypura bread and that's how he would do it and so then, somehow, he'd be trying to open that ring and he'd finally bump it against something and it would touch that spot and would open up and an underdog energy pill would flop out to the air and it'd be coming down. Will he catch it? Will he miss it? And his tongue would go out. He would catch it and he'd bring it in and he would swallow it and his muscles would bulge and he could fly and then he would save her and beat up the bad guys.

Now, the idea as silly as it is is not all that when you put into perspective of what we're talking about. Did he know what was in that pill? No. He just knew that it worked. And do we understand all the depth of the grace of God?

I don't. I just know that there's a power when I need it that I don't have to be bitter. And if I'm bitter, I fail because the power is available to not be bitter and all a person has to do is put their faith in the grace of God. Now, how does somebody get saved? By grace, are you saved through faith?

Faith in what Jesus did on the cross to save us from our sin. Not our deeds. But him. So, how do we live the Christian life? Faith in the grace of God to give us the power supernaturally to not be bitter and full of that cancer and sad and sorrowful and miserable all of our lives because of what that lousy husband did.

And what he did may have been lousy because of what that preacher did and maybe what he did was wrong because my dad shot himself and he did shoot himself. What that person said, it was it was said but we don't have to be bitter because of the grace of God. Now, folks, we have got to deal with whatever it might be that would keep us from being holy and able to see God Let's bow our heads and let's consider these things tonight.