THE CONSEQUENCE OF BITTERNESS
By W. G. Guy
Hebrews 12:14-15 – 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 springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
How can a person “fail of the grace of God”? This is a very important topic that is not addressed from most pulpits!
Bitterness is major problem for some people as it is a destructive force in their heart and soul; a defiling force that they cannot let go of. Bitterness is of the devil and produces evil results. Bitterness is the root cause of resentment, unforgiveness and holding grudges, which destroys relationships! Bitterness towards others is the opposite of the love that Jesus commanded that we have for others.
The word bitter refers to a state of being “acidic”, caustic or corrosive; which is as an acid that eats away at a substance that it comes in contact with. This means that it is poisonous and deadly! An example is given, regarding “bitter water”, as being bad and not drinkable, as provided in scripture:
Exodus 15:23-24 – And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?
Here, the nation of Israel found water in the desert, but it was undrinkable; it was acidic or caustic, and needed an alkaline added to it to remove or neutralize the acid.
Exodus 15:25 – And he (Moses) cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet:
The kind of tree the Lord showed to Moses is not mentioned, but it was obviously a tree that was very alkaline because when it was thrown into the water it neutralized the bitter acid. (There is a theme to this experience that will be fulfilled many years later in Jesus Christ, as you will see.)
What causes an inland body of fresh water to become “bitter”, (poisoned) and acidic? Such a pool of water is affected by geo-thermic or volcanic activity near-by that has poisoned the water with sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid comes from molten sulfur, known as brimstone. Thus the water is affected from what is deep in the earth – HELL! All that comes from hell is corrosive, caustic, deadly and destructive.
John 10:10 – The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Thus the bitterness in a person’s heart and soul comes from the enemy and is corruptive and destroys a person’s outlook, behavior and thoughts; it defiles a person as is written:
Hebrews 12:15 – lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
How is such bitterness removed? As in the account in Exodus, a neutralizing force needs to be applied to the heart and soul of one who has bitterness in them. That neutralizing force is Jesus, also called the branch (of a tree), who is the love of God by the Holy Spirit, who can remove the bitterness.
Romans 5:1-5 – Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
The love of God, by the Holy Spirit, (actually the Spirit of Christ), must be in our hearts replacing any remaining bitterness. God’s love is like the tree, (or Jesus, called the branch), that Moses needed to cure the water at Marah.
Exodus 15:25 – And he (Moses) cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet:
The main concern about dealing with any bitterness you may have is that it causes UNFORGIVENESS; and if you have unforgiveness, or resentment in your heart toward anyone, it defiles you and you will not be forgiven by God.
Matthew 6:14-15 – For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses (against you), neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Now you know the consequences of the POISON OF BITTERNESS!
By W. G. Guy
Hebrews 12:14-15 – 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 springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
How can a person “fail of the grace of God”? This is a very important topic that is not addressed from most pulpits!
Bitterness is major problem for some people as it is a destructive force in their heart and soul; a defiling force that they cannot let go of. Bitterness is of the devil and produces evil results. Bitterness is the root cause of resentment, unforgiveness and holding grudges, which destroys relationships! Bitterness towards others is the opposite of the love that Jesus commanded that we have for others.
The word bitter refers to a state of being “acidic”, caustic or corrosive; which is as an acid that eats away at a substance that it comes in contact with. This means that it is poisonous and deadly! An example is given, regarding “bitter water”, as being bad and not drinkable, as provided in scripture:
Exodus 15:23-24 – And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?
Here, the nation of Israel found water in the desert, but it was undrinkable; it was acidic or caustic, and needed an alkaline added to it to remove or neutralize the acid.
Exodus 15:25 – And he (Moses) cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet:
The kind of tree the Lord showed to Moses is not mentioned, but it was obviously a tree that was very alkaline because when it was thrown into the water it neutralized the bitter acid. (There is a theme to this experience that will be fulfilled many years later in Jesus Christ, as you will see.)
What causes an inland body of fresh water to become “bitter”, (poisoned) and acidic? Such a pool of water is affected by geo-thermic or volcanic activity near-by that has poisoned the water with sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid comes from molten sulfur, known as brimstone. Thus the water is affected from what is deep in the earth – HELL! All that comes from hell is corrosive, caustic, deadly and destructive.
John 10:10 – The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Thus the bitterness in a person’s heart and soul comes from the enemy and is corruptive and destroys a person’s outlook, behavior and thoughts; it defiles a person as is written:
Hebrews 12:15 – lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
How is such bitterness removed? As in the account in Exodus, a neutralizing force needs to be applied to the heart and soul of one who has bitterness in them. That neutralizing force is Jesus, also called the branch (of a tree), who is the love of God by the Holy Spirit, who can remove the bitterness.
Romans 5:1-5 – Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
The love of God, by the Holy Spirit, (actually the Spirit of Christ), must be in our hearts replacing any remaining bitterness. God’s love is like the tree, (or Jesus, called the branch), that Moses needed to cure the water at Marah.
Exodus 15:25 – And he (Moses) cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet:
The main concern about dealing with any bitterness you may have is that it causes UNFORGIVENESS; and if you have unforgiveness, or resentment in your heart toward anyone, it defiles you and you will not be forgiven by God.
Matthew 6:14-15 – For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses (against you), neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Now you know the consequences of the POISON OF BITTERNESS!
