Getting Rid of Bitterness

1 Peter 2:19-23

You can’t avoid the spiritual war. (review)

· Satan is defeated & his power is broken, but he is still at war with God to dishonor Him & destroy His believers.

Dealing with pride. (Ja 4:6-7) (review)

· Pride is usually at the source of our problem… the “ground” from which Satan is able to launch his attacks & build his stronghold of lies.

· Pride is allowing self to sit on the throne of my life instead of Christ.

· Antidote to pride is recognizing God’s grace, & our poverty of spirit. (Mt 5:3)

· God gives us both the desire & power we need to do His will… that’s grace. (Phil 2:13)

· Many Christians are still defeated because God only gives grace to the humble. (Ja 4:6)

· Humbly submitting yourself to God is the key to dealing with your pride. (Ja 4:7)

· If you’re resisting God in any area in your life, you won’t have strength to resist Satan.

Steps to freedom from pride.

· Submit… place all the areas of your life under God’s control (work, finances, reputation).

· Daily make conscious decision to die to self & yield to God’s will. (Lk 9:23; Gal 2:20)

· Memorize: Lk 9:23; & Gal 2:20

· Ask God’s forgiveness, & ask Him to take back any ground you surrendered to Satan.

Suffering & bitterness. (1Pet 4:12-19)

· Christians & non-Christians go thru the same life experiences… the one difference is that Christians don’t go thru suffering alone. The H Spirit is always with God’s people.

· Suffering is God’s will for His people… we all will suffer. (1Pet 4:19)

· If your Christianity doesn’t work in suffering, you don’t have much to offer anyone.

· Unforgiveness & bitterness are usually triggered when we are called to suffer… especially if we’re wrongly treated by others.

· How do you respond to suffering caused by someone treating you unfairly? (1Pet 4:12-19)

Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. (Mt 6:12)

· If you forgive men when they sin against you, your Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Mt 6:14-15)

· In matters of forgiveness, God deals with us as we deal with others.

o This doesn’t mean our forgiveness of others earns us right to be forgiven. It’s all grace.

· With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Lk 6:38)

· We are to forgive others as freely & graciously as God forgives us.

· Once we see enormity of our debt, any injury done by others seems trifling in comparison.

· If not, it raises question of whether we were ever really forgiven. (Mt 18:21-35)

o The unforgiving servant didn’t need or ask for forgiveness… he was working it out.

· Forgiveness is the mark of the truly regenerated heart. (1Jn 2:6)

· “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Eph 4:32)

Getting rid of bitterness. (1Pet 2:19-23)

· We must look to Jesus’ example of how to respond to suffering & avoid bitterness.

· Jesus suffered unjustly, yet He committed himself to Him that judges righteously. (2:23)

1. Identify & release those who have hurt you. (Rm 12:19)

· Learning how to deal with bitterness is so vital because suffering isn’t an option… as Christians we are called to suffer. (1Pet 2:21a)

· If you can’t trust God when things are bad, you open yourself up to bitterness.

· We can arm ourselves with same mind of Christ by committing our suffering to God.

· Bitterness is making God accountable to me… it’s an affront to His sovereignty.

· Suffering is part of God’s purifying process to help us get rid of sin. (4:1) If you want to be godly, don’t shove away the tools God uses to purify you.

· When Daniel’s three friends were thrown into the furnace (Dan 3), what burned?

o Roped that bound them was all that burned… God wants to burn ropes that bind you.

2. Forgive from the heart. (Mt 18:21-22)

· We must forgive from the heart… we must get in touch with the pain & release it to God by forgiving the person by name for the specific offenses that caused the pain.

· To be free from bitterness, you must be willing to give unlimited forgiveness. (v.22)

· The forgiven servant refused to forgive, & he was turned over to tormentors. (18:23-34)

· If you hold unforgiveness in your heart against anyone, the enemy is given ground from which he will torment you. (v.35)

3. Live with the consequences. (Eph 4:30-32)

· Key to being able to live with consequences is maintaining vital contact with H Spirit.

· Do not grieve the Spirit… & get rid of all bitterness. (Eph 4:30-31)

· We are commanded to replace all the sinful acts of v.31 with forgiveness. (v.32)

· We are to forgive the way Jesus forgave us … completely.

· Make a list of names, the things that happened, & any ongoing consequences. Pray thru that list & forgive the people on it… including God & yourself if necessary.

· Forgiveness is a choice, not a feeling… forgive as an act of your will.

· God is not asking us to feel something, but to do something. (Eph 4:32)

· Forgiveness is an act of obedience, even when the feelings aren’t there.