You can turn to James chapter 3. We're going to talk about everyone's favorite word here tonight. You'll see when we get there. You'll be like, oh, great. James chapter 3. But I do pray that this is a help for you. And for myself, we need God's Word. We're really going to focus towards verse 11, 12, 13, 14. Verse 14 is where I want to get to, but to get to that point, we really need to look at verse 1 and move on through. We're going to look at a word called bitter and bitterness. And it's kind of a nasty thing, but I want us all today to use God's Word and the Holy Spirit to help us. to help us. I have a couple of quotes here. Let's see if you know these. There's a phrase that says, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Okay, so we start talking bitterness. There's one person that has to deal with bitterness. And that's me. And that's you. And the enemy is you. I know Satan works in there too, but the person we need to watch out for is me. It's really me. And you'll see it as we go through Scripture. And that's one reason we need the Word of God, because it doesn't mince words. God just tells it right like it is. And we need it. We need it because we need help. Anyway, that's keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Don't worry, God has it set up. That old man, like we've been talking through, it's right there. And so we'll go through that tonight and watch it. But you're watching for him. Here's another one. Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes. That was a general, or they don't know exactly who it is, but Revolutionary War, Battle of Bunker Hill. They were low on ammo, and they wanted to make sure that every bullet counted. And they said, don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes. And the person, as we talk about bitterness tonight, is not other people. It's this guy. And we need to watch for that rising up, and we need to crush it. And you'll see it. You'll see, and we get to Acts 8, you'll see how Peter, through the Holy Spirit, deals with somebody dealing with bitterness. But in James here, we'll see exactly what it is. We'll see some roots of it. You'll see that the heart and the tongue are always tied together, so I just want to point that out. And as we think about it, what's the opposite of bitterness? Just keeping it simple. Peace and joy. And we know for sure that God wants us to have joy and peace. In fact, he wants us to be filled with it. So we think bitterness, that's not, that's not of God. And the person we're watching for, the reactions, the instincts is our very own. All right. So we'll go through that. And I do pray that it's helpful. And God's word is so good. And we, we read tonight, believing that our heavenly father wrote this for us for a reason. because he wants us to have peace and joy, and he knows how we act. And so this isn't a beat down, this is an awareness. Take notes, jog it in your mind. We'll have some words in there, and so when you see that coming in your mind, when you see that flashing up, gotta crush it. Gotta crush it. And that's what we do. So let's read James chapter 3 and verse 1. My brethren, talking to fellow believers, that's what we're doing tonight. Be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation, for in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us, and we turn about their whole body. Behold, also the ships, which, though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so, the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth. And I wanted to start up top here, because as you go through scripture, a lot of times the tongue and the heart and what comes out of the heart, they're kind of tied together. In fact, Jesus says to himself, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh, in Luke 6, 45. So this is just, if you like science, if you like how the body works, God knows exactly how this thing works. It's all tied together. And so he's telling us in verse five, this is James writing through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So God's telling us, word for word, hey, watch it. Watch that tongue. And down lower, we'll see some more. But that tongue can get out of control. It really can. And so the tongue that you're thinking about tonight is your very own. It's your own. It's not everybody else's. It's your own. And we're kind of being put on watch tonight. Look at verse 6. And the tongue is a fire. It's a world of iniquity. So is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature. And it is set on fire of hell. Whoa. For every kind of beast, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind. But the tongue can no man tame. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Man. Is this for real? Yeah, God's calling it out. And we all deal with it, we all know it, we deal with it. And so God's just calling it out like, and you know how it is, in a second you can be saying something. All right, so this is just the truth. This is human nature. So verse eight again, but the tongue can no man tame, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Verse nine, and here's the truth of it. Therewith, bless we God. So with that tongue, we can bless God and we can sit here and sing praise to God and mean it. We really mean it. And the next second, wham! Just slaying people. That's what we deal with. So we're just being mindful tonight. We're listening to the word of God. So therewith, bless we God, even the Father. And therewith, so with that same tongue, we curse men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. And tonight we're not really talking about the tongue. Let's keep going, verse 11. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? No. Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? No. Either a vine, figs? No. So can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. Verse 13. Who is a wise man and a dude with knowledge? So who really knows what's going on? Who is a wise man and a dude with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. So you wanna know who to listen to, who has the wisdom? It's gonna be coming from God because you're keeping this whole thing in accordance with what God says. He says, who is wise, let him show out of a good conversation how he lives or she lives her life with meekness of wisdom. Watch 14. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not and lie not against the truth. So you see that bitterness right there, that bitter? And we're gonna go through scripture and see it. When you see that word bitterness, it's gonna be coming from that envy and that strife. And there's something you don't like. And you want to make it, you want to get out front. You want to be first. And it's talking right about us. So let me just tell you these words. Bitter. We all know that bitter taste, which makes you want to spit it out. But in this context, it's to exasperate, to render angry, indignant, irritated, to grieve, harsh. You say, oh, I recognize that. Yeah. Yeah, we all do, we deal with it. And here it's tied to, so envy is, you're envious, you're contentious, it's rivalry, it's jealousy. And then the strife is a desire to put oneself forward. We all live with this, we all live with this, it's this natural desire, know me. I want, and it happens in a second. And so the person we're watching out for, that feeling that we're watching out for, is that right there. As soon as that starts to come, as soon as you sense that, it's time to crush it. And it's very, very, very important. in the walk as a believer, all right? Because you just saw the danger up above. It's in all of us. But verse 14, when you think bitterness, he says, but if ye have bitter envying. So these words that I want to bring to our mind, because when that feeling comes, I want to call attention to it. You're exasperated. You're rendered angry. You can see these are very reactionary. You're indignant. How dare you? Irritated. To grieve, it's harsh. These are not things from God, and envy is, it's contentious, it's rivalry, it's I'm better, we're kind of fighting for it, it's jealousy. And strife is the desire to put oneself forward. You say this is ugly. It is ugly, and it's from the devil. And it's right inside of us, even as believers. And so we need to watch it. We need to watch it, and then we need to bop it. You're like, that's not a scripture word. I know it's not. I know it's not. So Eloise was like, Dad, why do I want a bat? So here's our bopper bat. All right, here's the bopper bat. And if I could, I would write on here bitterness and then bop it. You know what? You're going to remember this. So every time these feelings come up, you're going to be like, oh, I need to bop that. All right, so we're going to write bitterness, because that's the word we're studying. And you're going to, somebody at my house is going to be mad tonight. I'll probably be on my way home buying a bat. Okay, so bitterness. And then Bop It is not scriptural, but you'll see what we mean as we go through it. Bop it. All right? So here's what it means. You know those games that you play sometimes, the little animal bops up and you go, wham! I don't know what that's called. What is it? Whack them all. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. It's very frustrating. OK, so you can tell I deal with these exact words a lot. But so here's what we're thinking. We're always on guard for it. I feel so weird up here with this. I feel like I'm going to hurt somebody. OK, but anyway, you're watching this. This is our own nature. The person we're looking for is me. And it's how I react. And we want to catch it as soon as we see it. And God works through us. But the phrase tonight is bitterness, bop it. See, wham. And it might take more than one. And it might be ongoing. But I'll leave this bat up here. Bitterness, bop it. You're gonna see Peter and the Holy Spirit bop it. All right? The danger is there. I make light of it a little bit, just because it's a lesson tonight. But it is something to take seriously. It is. Because it does real damage. And the peace and the joy that's being robbed is yours. But it also will go out and affect lots of other folks, too. That's why that tongue is so dangerous. Because out of the abundance of the mouth, the heart speaketh. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. And it just goes out in danger. So as believers, through the power of the Holy Spirit, through his word he's calling attention to tonight, it's just a reminder. You start seeing that welling up within you, crush it. God help me. And so tonight we're praying, God, Help me, make me more aware through your word. Make the Holy Spirit more, give him more freedom to work and point it out. Help me to crush that so it doesn't go. And let's go to Acts chapter eight and you'll see this. Acts chapter eight. If anyone wants to hold the bat for the rest of the service, you can. Just be nice. Okay, Acts chapter eight, let's watch this. And God is so good, he'll go through it, and you'll see how this works. You'll see how it works. It wells up, it's in us, and we need to deal with it right there. And that's what Bappet means, is deal with it. Don't let it fester, deal with it the best you can. And then he'll show us, and then you're gonna see, repent, ask for forgiveness, and that's how it goes. Okay, we're in this battle together. We're gonna be aware of this, and God will make it aware, but let's look at Acts chapter 8 and verse 9. But there was a certain man called Simon, which before time in the same city used sorcery, and he bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one, to whom they all gave heed. So all the people of Samaria came to this sorcerer named Simon, and they thought he was very powerful, saying in verse 10, this man is the great power of God. In verse 11, and to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorcery. So he's using magic. This power that's not coming from God, that's from Satan, verse 12. But, when they believed Philip, preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, in the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. So they're getting saved, they're believing the gospel. Okay? And verse 13. Then Simon himself believed also. So God can save sorcerers. That's just a side note, but God can. He's all-powerful. He is amazing, okay? Verse 13, then Simon himself believed also, and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and he wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. So now you have this guy, Simon, who was a sorcerer, now he believes in the gospel, he's come to Christ for salvation, for forgiveness of sins by faith, and now he's following the disciples around, or the apostles, and he's just watching how this works. Verse 14, Now when the apostles, which were at Jerusalem, heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John. So here come Peter and John. Who, in verse 15, when they were calmed down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost. For as yet he was fallen upon none of them, only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And we know we're in transition period here, so look at verse 17. Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. In verse 18, and when Simon saw that through laying on the hands of the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money. What did Simon experience? What was welling up? Instantly, he's a believer, and he's watching this. What is that feeling that's welling up? I want, gotta crush that. Gotta crush it. You say, why? Well, as believers, who is inside of us? The Holy Spirit. And Christ is so wonderful. He is such a blessing. It is so rich. It is so good. It is so pure. And our nature does nothing but tarnish that. Okay? And it is. So as believers, we may not think about it. You may just think it's just you. But we're not our own anymore. And our nature will only discolor Christ. And so we're watching him. And so what he sees is, oh man, I want that. And Peter's going to get on him. It's the same mindset as you see it and you think about bitterness and it wells up and it's the envy and that strife and you can see it, what it leads to. Watch what happens here. Verse 18, and when Simon saw that through laying on the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying, give me also this power. If you look, watch for it. Watch when it's welling up. Watch when you're struggling with this bitterness, this envy and the strife. Watch it. Trace it back. Don't worry. The Holy Spirit will help you. God, where am I going wrong there? Help me with this feeling. It's going to come back that you want it. You want it. You want it. You want it. And so we're watching for it, we gotta watch ourselves, but see here, saying, give me also this power, I want this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. And then Peter goes, but Peter says unto him, like, this is a new disciple. Peter, why are you so harsh? What, ease up, like, let it go and then take him aside and explain it. No, Peter gets on him, watch. But Peter says in verse 20, Peter says unto him, thy money perish with thee. Thy money perish with thee. Peter, ease up. Because thou hast thought, and here's the thing, thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Peter has very high regard for the gift of God. And our nature is never gonna tell us that that Christ in you is so glorious. It's never, it is nasty. Okay? But we're just talking about bitterness, and we're talking about envy, and that strife, and the root of it, it will bring you, it will cause a lot of pain inside of you, that bitterness will. And the root of it is, it's your very own nature, wrestling and wanting its way. And so you gotta watch for it, and the Holy Spirit will tell you, and the Word of God will show you, as I'm studying this, I'm like, oh man, And the responsibility is, God, please show me, and then please help me to deal with it. There are no bats in my spiritual life. That's me coming before God and saying, God, will you help me? Will you please forgive me? Watch, Peter's gonna tell him the exact steps. But it's, you stop in that moment, but Peter says unto him, thy money perish with thee. And I love Peter. I love his rashness. I love how he responds so quickly. And you see him all through scripture. He just turns and says, thy money perish with thee. You have no idea what this is about. And believers, we can lose the sensitivity to the things of God. We can lose the sensitivity to the fact that we are vessels of the Holy Spirit inside of us. And I'm not up here saying I'm Mr. Holy of Holies. Tonight, we're just using scripture and saying, watch for it. Watch for it, because if it goes, it eats, and it starts to crush and destroy. And so we need to deal with it, and God helps us deal with it. So he says, thy money perish with thee because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part, whoa, thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter. You have nothing to do with this. And I love how sensitive Peter is to it. And so I pray too, God, just can you help bring it to my attention? Can you keep peeling those layers back and keep working on me? Keep working on me. Can you make me more tender towards your things? Don't let me turn a blind eye to it. Help me. And so he says, verse 21, thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Whoa, from now he's, but look, he doesn't leave him there. He doesn't just leave him there and scorn him and walk away and say, I never want to talk to that guy again. No, there's a way, there's a cure for it. You're wrong, get it right. And tonight, the people that we're talking to, the person that I'm talking to is me. And I'm not trying to hurt me, it's just identifying the root of that and dealing with it. And that's what the Holy Spirit does so well. And I feel kind of threatening holding onto this, but I want you to remember the bop part. It's gonna be you bopping, because you're wrong. And you need to own up to that, I need to own up to that. And bring it to God. And this is where bitterness starts. This is in the heart. This is the envy and the strife. And it goes, and it's a jealousy piece. And you can see the harshness, the outcome of it. And we need to deal with it, and the person that's wrong is me. With bitterness. It's my fault. And I need to bring it to God. All of us deal with it. All ages deal with it. We'll always be dealing with it. But I praise God that we can bring it to Him. And I praise God that He calls us out. And if we can get to Hebrews and come down through it, it's because He loves us so much. He'll call it out, and we want him to. And we want to get it right. All right, and we wanna keep there. So look at verse 22, or 21. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter. This is not about you. We're dealing with something so incredible, you have nothing to do with it. This is the power of God. Don't touch it, don't bring your power, your desires in there, your desires in there. Verse 21, thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Verse 22, repent therefore of this wickedness. Repent, therefore, of thy wickedness." And so what he's saying is, you're wrong, and you need to deal with it. And so if you look at bitterness, it's going to be my problem. My bitterness is my problem. It's my envy, and it's my strife. It's in that heart. That's what's welling it up. It's me, and the Holy Spirit will point it out. God's Word will point it out. I can't listen to myself. Because in my own mind, I'm good to go. It's their fault. It's usually how that works. And I can see, I can tell you the whole history of how he got to this point, and it had nothing to do with me. But God brings us back, and that's what he does. Repent, therefore, of this thy wickedness. Repent is that turning, turning from it. God points it out, and it's in that moment, deal with it. The Holy Spirit is right on target. He is right there, believe me. He tells you exactly when it's wrong. And so we're just praying tonight for a sensitivity to that. God, you pointed out, help me to deal with it right there, it's my fault, I'm sorry. And then what's next? That's the repent. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart, you see where it wells up, it's inside of that heart, and it can happen so fast. That's our nature. Perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee and will God forgive you we're talking a little bit about this Sunday. Absolutely Absolutely, this is not a situation where you have to hang on to it. God says in what God wants is I'll expose it. I'll show you deal with it Bring it to me, ask me to forgive you. Repent, that's me coming to God saying, God, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. And then you say, will you please forgive me? Right, and what is he gonna do? Yeah, he's faithful and just to forgive us of our sins. And I'm not, I'm curious to study this more, to see Peter's sensitivity. It's easy to forget as humans that God is holy. God is holy. You forget that. It's true, and we take grace for granted. It is, we're saved by grace through faith. It is amazing how this works. But, Peter calls it out with sensitivity, but he says 22, so repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and notice he doesn't say, oh, you're a new believer. Okay, okay, it's no. With God, it's wickedness. It's wickedness for believers, it's wickedness for a lost person. It's wickedness. Deal with it. God, you're so harsh. And that's where we go wrong. God's right. And he's holy. And he's just. And he's making us look more like him. So repent, therefore, of this, thy wickedness, and pray, God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness. I perceive, like so fast, I perceive that there's some jealousy going on in there and this is the fruit of it. And he's dealing with it right away. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. You're wrong, this is sin, Simon, this is sin. Verse 24, and here's, he see, this is our attitude. Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me." See, that's the attitude. That's the attitude. God exposes it. The Holy Spirit exposes it. His Word, it's beautiful. We need it. It kind of just comes through and we get examined. And then we come to God and say, will you please forgive me? And he says, yes. And you keep on moving. So Simon keeps on moving. Lesson learned and keeps on going. And he'll have to deal with that again, just like we do. But those are the steps. You spot it, you bop it, right? The Holy Spirit brings to your attention, you bop it, you're crushing it. You might have to keep whacking it. It's going to be a violent week. But spot it, bop it, repent, ask for forgiveness, and you have that peace and the joy, and you keep on moving. This is how we deal with bitterness. And you're going to find bitterness in every area of your life. So why? Because that's our nature. And where does it come from? The devil. This is rough. This is truth. This is reality. And I do, I do appreciate that Peter just represents God and the truth. And he says, that's wickedness and you need to deal with it. And I appreciate that Simon did. And so as believers, we, this is a good practice is to recognize when God's calling us out that it's us and we get to deal with it and he will help us. He will help us. Our father is so good. And we know it and we can see the depths of his love because we talk about the gospel all the time. He sent his son to pay for the sins of the world. He's paid for it. but he's calling it out. And when he calls it out, we deal with it. All right? So spot it, bop it, repent, ask for forgiveness, peace and joy. Our prayer is, as you're dealing with that, that sensation comes up and you're lashing out, or you're down here dealing with the root, dealing with the effect of it, and you're like, God, how did I get here? And all you can see is their fault. God, the Holy Spirit's going to be showing you a yellow bat. He's going to be saying, just deal with it. And so we deal with it. And we say, God, thank you for pointing out who we are. If we went to Romans 3 tonight, we would see that it's in all of us. Romans 3, 14, this is in all of us. It's our nature. But let's look at Ephesians chapter 4. I want to read through a few, and I really want to spend the last bit of time in Hebrews. because I love God, and I love seeing him as a father, and I love reading his words towards us. Ephesians chapter four. With bitterness, there's a harshness, and maybe it's not in your words, but it can definitely be in your thoughts, and it permeates everything, and it'll permeate your relationship with God, too. And so we want God's Word and the Holy Spirit to point out the root of it, and point out where exactly we're going wrong, where exactly we're in strife with God. So Ephesians chapter 4, let's start in verse 26, verse 25, we'll go down to verse 32. Wherefore, putting away lying, I see the lips going again, and I think, oh, we know where that comes from. Wherefore, put away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. I forget that a lot too, but we're not gonna study that tonight. Verse 26, be ye angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath. 27, neither give place to the devil. Man, he is in there, he is working, he's our adversary, he hates it. And he knows our nature and he's just working right there with us, he's shooting his arrows at us. He is a pro at this. And so we're fighting that too, but we have the truth of God's word, and that's our defense. We hold that shield up, and God's exposing it tonight so that we can have victory over it, so we can have that peace and the joy that our Father wants. Neither give place to the devil, so that's what the risk is, verse 28. Let him that stole, steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the things which is good. that he may have to give to him that needeth, 29, let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And so when you're in bitterness, and I can speak from personal example, personal testimony, when you're wrapped up in bitterness, whatever that is, it's tough to see other people. It's tough to be sensitive to other people because you're really consumed with yourself and your mind and this thing. But you can see here that Paul's calling it out. Let no corrupt communication, so watch your speech, proceed out of your mouth. you're taming that thing, but that which is good to the use of edifying, so speak things that are encouraging, helping, that it may minister grace unto the hearers, verse 30, and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption, and that brings us back to remember what this is all about in the first place, 31, let all bitterness and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you with all malice." And so several of those have to do with the tongue, and some of them have to do with the tongue, and so you can see that our speech and our heart are all intertwined. But he says, put away all bitterness, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you with all malice, 32, and be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another. All right, so now you see the switch. You go from the harshness of that bitterness. You all know what I'm talking about. Me first. I want that jealousy, the envy, and the strife. Put me up front. And all that calms down. And so what do you see? You see Christ. And be ye kind one to another. tender-hearted, notice that. If you have that bitterness that you're dealing with, that's coming from the heart. You need to deal with that. If you're here saying, God, help me be more kind, and you're not dealing with the bitterness, that's gonna be hard to do. You gotta get to the source. And it's in the heart. So we do, let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice, so you're knocking that out by God's help and grace. Verse 32, and be ye kind one to another, tender hearted. You see how it gets gentle? You see how it gets soft? You see how it gets yielding, forgiving one another? And then here's the whole thing. Even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. And that's, I mean, that's when our life changed. That's what we were accepting. That's what we put our faith in. And so that's really what we're living for now. And that bitterness, our nature, gets in the way. And it will rear up. And so tonight we're just saying, watch for it. And as we get to Hebrews, you're looking diligently. You're watching for it, because it'll come all the time. It's always there. Satan is our adversary, roaming about, seeking whom he may. Devour. This isn't a game. We're really, really watching. It's not a funny yellow bat bopping it. This is for real. All right? We really deal with this, and it really hurts. It really hurts us. Let's go to Hebrews chapter 12. But tonight is actually a message of victory. It's a message of power. This is how we fight. This is how we win. Even if it hurts. And the person that hurts is that old nature. Because you've got to go right at them. And that's exactly where you have to go. Is right at them. And it's yourself. But let's read Hebrews chapter 12. I love this chapter. We're going to go down to verse 15. We'll read through this. Kind of take our time. There are a few verses, 2, 3, 6, 10, 14, and 15. I'll try to point it out as we go through it. This is lovely. And this is our Savior. And this is His attitude towards us. Right? So if the Holy Spirit's pointing out bitterness, He's doing it because He loves you. He's doing it because he wants you to live in the peace and the joy. That's where he wants me to be. And so if he's exposing it, he's telling you how to deal with it. He's saying deal with it. Like we said on Sunday, we're going to bring it to the cross anyway and ask for forgiveness, but it's you that you have to deal with. It's you, and so deal with it. So let's read Hebrews chapter 12, and you're going to see Christ's example. And he's the one that we're mimicking. Chapter 12, verse one, wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, that's chapter 11, let us lay aside every weight in the sin which doth so easily beset us. That's every single day we're picking that stuff up. Every day, all the time we're doing this. Let us lay aside every weight in the sin which doth so easily beset us. Yeah, so you're gonna be like bam, bam, bam, bam. How am I gonna get any work done? Gotta keep my mind busy. You know, because if I'm just left to myself, there I go. All right. Let us lay aside every weight in the sin which doth so easily beset us. That's what we deal with. And let us run with patience the race that is set before us. And that's what we're doing, and that's what tonight's message is, to be hope. As you're living your life, as you're dealing with bitterness, you're going to, you do, this is how we deal with it, let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Verse two, looking unto Jesus, and there he is, and he's lovely, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. And just a side note, he was perfect. He was a man just like we were, we are. He was tempted just like we are. And he was perfect. And he did it through the power and the strength of God. And we have that same opportunity, that same calling. We have Christ in us. That's the power. But he did do it. And you'll see as we come down through here, it says he endured the cross, who for the joy that was set before him. So as he's dealing with bitterness, as those thoughts would come up for him, he's wrestling. Satan was, remember Satan tempting him, trying to give him, make him more powerful. His whole life was to do the will of his father. He was in complete submission and obedience because he loved his father and he did it perfectly and that's what we are called to. And so this battle of bitterness, that's what we're doing. We're just following his example. Consider him, think about it. Think about how he was mocked. Think about how they made fun of him. Think about how they ridiculed him. Think about how many smart people, religious people, came up and tried to stump him. Think about how they tried to chase him down, how they put him in court and convicted him. A world that he came to save, me, me. While we're yet sinners, Christ died for us. So he's our perfect example. Look at verse three. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. And so this battle, this fight against bitterness, and it's our nature, we're just singling out bitterness, it does make you weary and it makes you want to faint. And if you're like me, sometimes you'll say, I deserve this moment. I deserve this feeling. Bob, you're wrong. You're absolutely wrong. Wickedness is always wickedness. Okay? And our minds will justify and we'll let things slip. And that's gonna lead to more and more bitterness, is what it's gonna do. Because as that thing grows, it gets meaner and meaner and harsher and harsher. Okay. So let's go. Verse four, ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And so that's what we're called to do. Verse five, and ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you is unto children. And so remember that as we're reading this. This is our father talking to his beloved. That's me, that's you. You put your faith in Christ, we are his beloved. And this is how he talks to us. And he says, hey my children, keep resisting. And he says, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and he scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. The Lord loves me tonight. If he's calling things out, that's even a more clear sign that he loves you. He wants you to have peace. He wants you to have joy. He wants you to have a clear mind. He wants you to see others and he wants people to see you with that tenderness and that forgiveness and that lightheartedness, not the harshness. Verse 6, For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Verse 7, If you endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons. For what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, we're of all our partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons. Furthermore, in verse nine, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us and we gave them reverence. Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the father of spirits and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure. Now watch for the second part of this. But He, for our profit. See, you're, it's crazy, because your flesh, in that moment, your flesh is like, yeah, me! You're gonna die. You know? That's what we do. You're going down. It happens in a second. The Holy Spirit will slow us down. The Holy Spirit will point it out. The Holy Spirit will help us deal with these things. He will give us grace. He'll always point it out. He's very good at it. But look at that second half of that verse, because This is the truth of God's Word. This is coming from a loving Heavenly Father. And in that moment, He's going to use His Word to get right into the middle of it all, into your heart. In that instant, He's going to say, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Watch that. Watch that. That's wickedness. He will. Because He says, for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness. Really? That's a really good father and he'll do it every single time. He'll help us all along the way. He wants us to be partakers of his holiness and you are flesh. No, no. Verse 11. Now no chasing. This is a truth. No chastening for the present seeming to be joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless, afterward, afterward, it yieldeth a peaceable fruit of righteousness. Remember what we said? Spot it, bop it, repent, ask for forgiveness, and the peace and the joy? That's God's, that's what God says. What does he say in verse 11? Nevertheless, afterward, it yieldeth a peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. So we want God. God, tonight, will you come in and will you help us? And if it's not tonight, if we're not dealing with it tonight, tomorrow, or down the road, if I'm stuck in the middle of this and that vice seems so tight, will you use your word and the Holy Spirit and bring it to memory and help me? Help me get through this. And he will. And if we go through his steps, repent, ask for forgiveness, he'll give us the peace and the joy. It yieldeth a peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. And something with bitterness too, in your mind, it blows this thing up so huge. You think things could never change. And then as God deals with it, you realize, oh, it was my fault all along. What? Does it sound familiar? This is what we deal with. It's crazy. But God will get rid of all of that. He'll release it. Okay. Healeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Verse 12. Wherefore, lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths through your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way, but let it rather be healed. And that's what we want. Verse 14. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. And I just think about that with bitterness in my own life. Man. I don't know what people see. You could probably ask my family and they'll tell you. It's not peace and holiness, that's for sure. But that's what dealing with it with the Lord yields, is the peaceable fruit of holiness. But look, 14, follow peace with all men and holiness. This is what God's after. Without which no man shall see the Lord. Now 15, looking diligently. Folks, we have to keep an eye on this. And that's why we're doing it, that's why we're talking about it tonight. We never get to let our guard down on this one. Always, every day we're looking for this. God, will you help us? And he does, we have the Holy Spirit inside of us. He's our teacher, he's our guide. He'll lead us into all truth. He will show us, and his word brings it out. Looking diligently, you are searching for that. Earnestly, you're looking, you're scrutinizing. Why? lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled. Because bitterness is a monster. That's why. Looking diligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God. And so the contrast, and always is, that's what this whole book is about, is a contrast between man and God. Okay? And what God's done to make it so we can experience peace with God again. But looking diligently, lest any man, us in our nature, in our heart, We're going to fail of the grace of God. We're going to fall short. We're going to be left behind. We're not going to reach the goal of the grace of God. When man's trying to do it in his own place, when you see that pride coming out, when you see our nature, it's that harshness. It's that strife. It's that jealousy. So you can spot it. When you see the tenderness, when you see the forgiving, when you see the gentleness, there's Christ. That's the fruit of the Spirit. And so you can always see those two, and so you'll spot it in your own life. You'll spot it in the Holy Word, or God's Word will just go whoosh! And say, yep! And that's why we love His Word. Looking diligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God. So this is the danger. This is the threat to us as believers. Watch for it. Because what's going to happen is you're going to fail of the grace of God. lest any root of bitterness springing up, just a root springing up, and it grows, trouble you, and thereby many be defiled. And I think I wrote the definition of defiled on a different note. It's really gonna destroy you. It really gets in there. Okay, so this is a good one to watch out for. Is that encouraging? It's the truth. I guess the joy, the privilege, the honor, it's not even that. It's the grace of God to be saved, to be a believer, to have Christ living in this vessel. Man, that's so precious. And our nature will threaten that always, will threaten the peace and the joy and the victory. So we want to watch out for it, and God's calling it out. And so I love him for that. So let's pray tonight. Dear Lord, thank you for your word. And I know you love us. And it's your word that brings me through bitterness when you're wrestling with it. And you always wanna lash out at everybody else. It might be at home, it might be with Kristen, it might be with my kids, it might be at work, it might be here at church, it might be just in life. That bitterness, and it happens so fast, and sometimes you hang onto it for a long time, I'm by no means perfect, but I'm thankful for your word. I'm thankful tonight that you're telling me, Bob, Bob, this is how you do it. I'm thankful that you use your word to call it out. I'm thankful that you use your word to heal us. to bring the peace and the joy, and so I pray for all of us tonight. Sometimes, all the time, it's very hard to deal with myself. It's very hard to say, I'm wrong. It's very hard to confess it to you, especially if it's in a jealousy type thing where you think it's their fault for sure, and you're convinced, Lord, I pray that all of us, starting with me, would be sensitive to how the Holy Spirit's working. And that we would deal with it. That we would come to you and say, Lord, I'm sorry. Will you please forgive me? And I know you will. And that's the healing. Lord, I want to live in that peace and joy. And I want your people to live in peace and joy. And I want to live this life in victory. I don't want to be living life in bitterness. And it's my fault. So thank you for pointing it out tonight. I pray that you would be with your people. I pray that you would encourage them. Lift them up. Help them. Comfort them. Give them your grace and your strength. And that's where we want to stay, is living mindful of the grace of God. Remembering that you're the one that forgave us. And that's what we want to exude or show other people. So I praise you and I love you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for being here tonight. We'll see you on Sunday. It'll be a great, great day.