The Poison of Bitterness

I made remark near the end of the message that I had not intended on making, but the more I get away from the message the more I sense there is more to what I said than I first thought. The comment: “God knew that the new church in Samaria could not stand to have someone with the ‘gall of bitterness’ in his or her soul, so right from the beginning he was saying, deal with the bitterness in your soul or you have no part in the fellowship of faith.”

Sin always separates us from God AND the sin of bitterness separates us from others which is a violation of the love of Christ.

I’ve mentioned on a couple of occasions a book that I’ve been reading called, “Why Churches Die.” It dissects the various “diseases” that kill a church. A whole chapter is dedicated to “The Toxin of Bitterness.”

Here is a quote:
“Bitterness is a bile so toxic that it can consume anyone who becomes afflicted by it. It obsesses your thoughts and devours your energy until you are emptied of any other motivation. It comes in two forms: bitterness from jealousy and bitterness from vengeance; both of which come from a deep place of hardened heart.” (pg 99)

I’ve watched as people spiral down into a bit of bitterness. Rational thinking is gone; let alone any sort of spiritual sensitivity. There is an insanity about the power of these toxic emotions that controls every aspect of that person’s perception of reality. Quite frankly, I’ve never seen someone work themselves out of bitterness. I’ve never been able to convince a person that they are bitter. That has only caused them to go deeper into their bitterness … now directed at me too. Simon didn’t respond to Peter’s charge with repentance, but rather hoping that he could get away with it without the consequences. (“Pray that none of the things you said will happen.”)

The revelation of bitterness is a deep convicting work of the Holy Spirit. The longer we harbor and cultivate that bitterness, the more difficult it is for the Holy Spirit to do something to get our soul's attention.

But what is of great concern to me … and the point of this series on the church, is how bitterness is so extremely contagious. When we let out a little bit of that bile, it looks for a fertile place in another’s heart and mind where it can find an environment to grow and infect. In our rush to “help” and “come along side” people steeped in bitterness, we can find ourselves embracing their feelings of anger, revenge, jealousy, and plain ol’ selfishness.

At its core bitterness is about unforgiveness. Again from “Why Churches Die” … “When you do not learn to forgive people for the wrongs they have done to you, you become a victim a second time. You become ensnarled in a cycle of hatred, poison and bitterness that has no end and no solution.” Consider Paul’s challenge to the Galatians:

16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. 19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another. Galatians 5:16-26 (NLT)

O God, make us all acutely aware of the seeds of bitterness that are sown constantly into our hearts. Give us the quick response of humility and forgiveness as soon as they touch our hearts. And then reveal to us any and all bitterness that has taken root. Expose this deadly toxin in us and grant us hearts full of forgiveness and joy. May the Blood of Christ continually wash over our souls exposing and removing this dangerous sinful emotion.