Sermon – Bitter Roots

Sermon – Bitter Roots (Digging up the Destructive Source of Resentment) Sunday July 28, 2013 Series – Soul Detox – Living in a Contaminated World Introduction - Story about my house – beautiful townhome, nice neighbourhood, lot of effort fixing up the inside so we can have people over and be comfortable when we are home - Backyard – that’s a different story - Talk about weeds - 2 Neighbours on the north – fences, pristine grass… - Rest of the street to the south – starting with me – no fence, terrible grass, full of weeds… o I know that it looks terrible o I know that I should take care of the weeds – so why don’t I? o Last year, my neighbour said he handpicked – 760 weeds in one afternoon o I gave up. I said forget it. I’m too tired, overwhelmed and frustrated o Part of the problem is that because our backyard faces a park, the weeds blow into our space – in past years when I did try really hard, the weeds from my other neighbour’s house or from the park just re-contaminated what I worked so hard to keep weed-free - These weeds are a powerful enemy. - I’m at a point now where I want to do something drastic – either rip the grass all out and put something else – stones or whatever – or try again with new grass - Today we are talking about bitterness – I would like to suggest that it is a powerful and destructive as the weeds in my backyard. In the same way, if we are not aggressive in digging it out from the root – bitterness will not only contaminate our own lives – but will also cause trouble for those around us. Hebrews 12:15 says, “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” Bitter roots poison our lives and contaminate those around us. - In the book, “Soul Detox,” the author tells a personal story that led to his own bitterness. The first involved his sister who was molested by a 6th grade teacher whom the town looked up to and trusted. He talks about how he went through a whole range of emotions – wanting to track the man down, have him arrested, beat him up. He was furious – his anger turned into rage – then to bitterness to the point where he wanted revenge. He then goes on to talk about how God revealed to him that his hatred was just as bad as the crime committed against his sister. Even though most people would agree that his bitterness was justifiable, that still didn’t change the fact that it wouldn’t draw him closer to God. He says, “Bitterness is a non-productive, toxic emotion, usually resulting from resentment over unmet needs.” In this case, his unmet need was for

retribution. He wanted to hurt his sister’s molester in return for what he had done to his sister (and others) - He talks about how if we’re not on guard, a root of bitterness can grow in the soil of a hurt that hasn’t been dealt with properly. “It obviously not a sin on your part when someone hurts you. But if you don’t’ handle the hurt properly, their sin becomes a catalyst for your own.” A bitter root will result in a multiplication of bitterness. It contaminates many people because it always extends its influence – think of a dandelion… - It corrupts and spoils. Its effects cannot be localized – the roots affect the fruit and the fruit affect group - In this passage, the writer is referencing a few Old Testament passages. The first is Deuteronomy 29:16-18 o You yourselves know how we lived in Egypt and how we passed through the countries on the way here. You saw among them the detestable images and idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold. Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison - This passage deals with those who have rejected the covenant and so have damaged the community of faith - The root of bitterness seems small, slow and insignificant at the time (which is why it is so dangerous) NT Wright – Human character is like a tree; it takes decades to grow, but can be cut down or burnt to a cinder in matter of minutes. Hebrews 12 gives us some tools on how to dig up bitterness – this destructive source of resentment. - “See to it that no one misses the grace of God.” o The word translated “see to it” literally means, “to exercise oversight.” It can be used in an official capacity – like a bishop. It is of utmost importance that we don’t fail to get the grace of God. It is also a group effort as opposed to exclusively individual o The grace of God stands for all the benefits which God has provided (as Pastor Steve says, “remember well.”)  Get people to shout out some things that God has done – in the life of the church and in their own personal lives? o Much of the bitterness in the life of a Christ-follower can be traced back to forgetting the grace of Jesus. Warren Wiersbe – God’s grace does not fail, but we can fail to take advantage of his grace. - The writer of Hebrews encourages us to depend on the grace of God in many ways throughout this whole chapter – specifically in the verses surrounding what we’re looking at today he looks at the bad example of Esau.

Vs. 16-17 - “See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit his blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.” - Story of Esau and Jacob – twin brothers – Esau’s the oldest. - Birthright – selling it was against his religious heritage – he has been described as a man of vice o Here, he puts material, sensual desires before religious opportunities o He lives for the world rather than God o Some think that Esau was a bad person  But he was a nice enough guy, a good hunter and a man who loved his father. He would have made a good neighbour  But he was not interested in the things of God.  He serves as a warning not to live for lesser things.  For small immediate gain, he bartered away something which was infinitely more valuable.  Do we do the same thing when we sin – temporary pleasure… - What are we focused on these days? - Blessing – this was the last straw for Esau – the roots of bitterness that were in him took full bloom now o He realized he made a mistake – he wanted it back, but couldn’t find a way to change what he had done – all that was left for him was to be under his brother and to live by the sword – he wants to start living by the sword immediately and wants to kill his brother – bitterness o His brother has to run away – for 20 years - Jacob doesn’t see his mother (who loved him so much) alive again – bitterness has consequences – bitter roots, bitter fruits – bitterness in the group. What did that do to Esau’s parents? They were all intertwined in this story too.  Like Esau, we cannot change what has happened to us.  If we are not careful, these small roots of bitterness – whether something to do with the church family or your family of origin or life circumstances – can end up contaminating your whole family or the whole church  The stakes are high – what is bitterness doing to you right now? Is it separating you from your parents? Your spouse? Siblings? Coworkers? Friends? Is it affecting the unity of the church? - The writer of Hebrews seems to focus on how pointless Esau’s tears where – even through great pain – there was no way to change his circumstances – Esau failed to take advantage of the grace of God. - This is a warning for us not to do the same. - For us, there is always the chance for spiritual repentance – to change our circumstances – to change our attitude – whenever there is spiritual desire - The good news of the gospel is a call to repentance – what about you today?

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Is there any bitterness that you have in your life that you want to confess? In the book, “Soul Detox”, the author suggests that the only way to deal with bitterness is forgiveness – is there someone you need to forgive? Is there someone you need to ask to forgive you?

So far in this series, we’ve talked about: - Self-awareness – Pastor Andrew talked about knowing the truth. Knowing yourself and making yourself known to others - Transformation starting in the mind – Pastor Jeremy talked about how your thoughts shape your attitudes, behaviour and life. If your behaviours don’t involve God changing the way we think, we make change after change, and still end up with the same result. - Our mind is shaped by whatever we feed it/expose it to. - Lethal language – Pastor Steve talked about a truth or trash test – accept the true/good words and reject the trash (this could stop a lot of bitterness before it even takes root) - Hidden sins – Pastor Andrew talked about the fact that God sees what’s in you anyways – if there is any sin in your life - we need to confess it and deal with it - Today, we talked about bitterness – how do we overcome the toxin of bitterness – by not missing out on God’s grace – and by forgiveness - Have you experienced God grace – have you pulled the deep roots of bitterness to make space for it? Prayer Benediction – Ephesians 4:32 – Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, Just as in Christ God forgave you. -

Be blessed and be a blessing After the service ends, the real service begins.