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It can be very easy for us to allow bitterness to come into our lives. There can be a situation that goes bad, a person that is mean or rude, or a host of other negative events that comes into our lives. If we are not careful, a wrong attitude at the start can grow into bitterness – eventually poisoning our lives in every way.

This is a message I preached in high school chapel last week (well, an outline of it).

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(Read Heb. 12:1-17)

v. 15 – “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;”

  • Bitterness affects you first and strongest.
  • Bitterness does not just affect your life, it affects the life of everyone around you.

I.          What is Bitterness?

  1. Strong animosity
  2. Severe grief, anguish, or disappointment
  3. Resentment or cynicism

II.        The Cause of Bitterness

  1. All bitterness can be prevented and stopped
  2. Bitterness stems from a wrong attitude or spirit (Job 7:11)
  3. Situations:
    1. Authority rebukes or corrects (Heb. 12:5-11)
    2. Someone is mean to you, or you think that they are (Heb. 12:16-17; Gen. 25:29-34)
    3. Someone wrongfully blames you for something

III.       The Cure for Bitterness (Eph. 4:31)

  1. Realize your own sinfulness (1 John 1:8-10)
  2. Forgiveness (Matt. 6:14-15)
  3. Learn how to take rebuke and correction properly

– It is either:

  1. True: fix it
  2. False: ignore it