Herbert W Armstrong

   It can be defined... this word can be defined in several ways, and the dictionary says it could mean a distress of mind, a very distasteful feeling or distress of mind. Some people say if they're in this attitude or they have the feeling that this word explains or defines, they might say that something really galls them. Can you think of anything in the Bible that talks about gall or, or uses that particular word?

   Another way that that word is used, not only in our society today but also in the Bible, is that it's used in connection with severe pain or a lot of suffering. You remember the nation of Israel, our people back in Egypt? And this word is used in conjunction with them when they were under severe suffering and bondage; they were being vexed by the Egyptians.

   It also can mean to exhibit intense animosity, if this word that continues to grow or the what this word explains or demonstrates continues to grow, that attitude grows in us and is not controlled, not gotten rid of. It may exhibit intense animosity toward other people. Even to the point that we may express it to other people by another definition, the cynicism or being extremely cynical. It can be expressed by the, the phrase 'intensely unpleasant,' and lastly, the expression of severe pain, grief, or regret.

   Now, of course, that could mean several words in the Bible, but the one that I'm thinking of is the word 'bitterness' or the word 'bitter,' and you'll find the word 'bitter' all the way back in Genesis 27. You'll find it sprinkled in the book of Exodus. You'll find it later on in The New Testament. On several occasions when the Apostle Paul is talking to people, you will find it when James writes to God's people, and you'll even find it sprinkled in the Book of Revelation—the word 'bitter' or 'bitterness' or 'bitterly.'

   Now, the reason I selected this particular word, it's not only because I needed something to talk about but because it is something that is not only plaguing the world around us—the world that we have come out of which, in many cases, as we know is an extremely bitter society, especially if people have gone through maybe unsuccessful marriage or there's been an untimely death in the family or there's been severe disease or there's been a financial setback, you know, or something like that. People can become extremely bitter, not only with other people, they become bitter with their own lives. To the point that they are turned off with society, turned off with wanting to live, turned off with wanting to accomplish anything.

   So the world around us, as we all are very well aware of, is full of bitter people. And you and I have come out of that particular society—we come out of a bitter world—and God certainly does not want us to return to a society that is bitter toward other people and especially bitter toward God.

   Now, every one of us is susceptible to bitterness. In fact I would be naive this morning to say that there is no root of bitterness among us. I think even in our congregation here this morning of, I think some Mr. Nelson told me 330 some odd this morning—showing you're growing a lot better than what we're doing down our way. We're staying status quo and remaining treading water and really not going any place at all because we have no coverage.

   But I, like I say, I'd be naive to say this morning that among 330 some odd people that there is no root of bitterness. I'm not saying, you know, just outright fully flourished bitterness, but I'm sure among us there are roots of bitterness. There are little seeds that have begun to develop to the point that even a root system is developed. Maybe you don't see the sprig, you know, or you don't see the sapling yet or you don't see the tree yet. But there is a root that is beginning to develop very possibly in some of our lives because of setbacks in our lives, possibly because of disappointments in our lives. And it may be even because of disappointments within what we feel the church should accomplish at this time.

   As bitterness is very common to this world, it has plagued the Church of God in the wilderness—that is Israel as we know them. And at this very time within the New Testament Church of God, bitterness does plague God's people. And so I think this morning, we need to quickly take a look into the Bible and notice a little bit about bitterness, notice the warnings that God gives us about it. Notice the fact that it is very possible that you—every single one of us—is susceptible to bitterness and it is something that we should not treat lightly. It is something that we should not approach naively. It is something that is extremely real and it is within the church of God today.

   Now, bitterness, unless it is quelled, unless it is controlled or put out of our lives, the Bible says will destroy us. It says that bitterness will cut us off from God. It will take us outside of the grace of God and it will also disqualify us for God's family. So I feel with those particular qualifications that it is vital this morning to look into it and find out what bitterness is be able to identify it see maybe one or two examples of it and then see the warnings that the New Testament says about it and learn a little bit about how to come out from under it.

   The first place we really run into bitterness to any extent at all is back in the book of Exodus. I'm not going to turn there, but just refer back to Israel when they were in Egypt. And as you know, they had been in Egypt now a few hundred years, they had been under bondage. A new king had come on the scene. He did not remember Israel's ancestry. He did not—he was not a friend of the nation of Israel. So he put them into bondage. And there in Exodus chapter one and verse 14 (Exodus 1:14), the first chapter of Exodus, we find that it says Israel became extremely bitter with life and they became very bitter because they were in bondage and they were being required to do something that was not vital, do something that they did not choose to do, do something against their will.

   And I think that's probably one of the greatest sources of bitterness that there is, is to be forced to do something that you don't feel that you should do. Man in the military gets bitter, wives whose husbands force them to stay with them—maybe it's the threat of a gun or whatever—become bitter, you know, or whatever. And so we say that doing things, being forced to do things that you don't want to do or you don't feel are necessary, that you don't feel are qualified or that are right, that you're getting a good shape will create bitterness.

   And that's really been one of the reasons why some people have become bitter within God's church and left, because they have felt that they are being forced to do things somehow that they are not required to do by God, whatever those things are. But getting back to the example, the example of Israel in Egypt was that after quite a number of years of bondage and being forced to labor and no longer remembering God's Holy days or God's Sabbath Days or anything, and every day it was the same as the previous day and they worked seven days a week, it says they became bitter with life. Life became a very bitter thing.

   And it finally got down to the point, as we all know the history, that the nation realized that the only way that they were going to come out from under this bondage and restore it, be restored, any kind of sanity was to turn to God. And it does say that some of them did repent and they cried out to God and they asked God then to take away their, their enemies, to take away those who have them as bondsmen, the Egyptians, and to save them. That's what the Book of Acts says. It says that they cried out to God and even David records in the book of Psalms how they cried out to God. And immediately it says, God looked on them and smiled on them.

   And you know the story from there—God had already really selected a man by the time they had repented and had been training that man Moses. And so he sent the man Moses from across the Red Sea back into Egypt on the other side of the Nile, back into Egypt. And he became a savior as we know to the nation. And of course, we know that when they first came out of Egypt, they came out with a high hand, they came out extremely happy and very positive and bitterness somehow vanished from their lives until they were out in the wilderness for a few days.

   And we find the example is that they then chose to come back in to bitter bondage rather than serving what they felt was a bitter God. They actually said that both ways were bitter. Egypt was bitter and God's way was bitter. Of course, they accused Moses for that, but they chose to go back into the way of the society into that bitter way feeling it was less bitter than the bitter way that they felt God was leading it, which really was a way of trial, a way of testing a way of making something out of the nation.

   Well, I don't have a lot of time this morning to go back into those examples. You might want to study them on your own. But if you'd like to, you might study the book of Exodus chapter one and go right on up to chapter 12. And you'll find in chapter 12 that God wanted to remind the nation of Israel of their bitter lives in bondage. So, what did he tell them to do? He said on the Passover every year on Nisan the 14th, whenever you bake a lamb and whenever you get out your unleavened bread and whenever you season it with herbs, he says, 'I want you to use bitter herbs. I want you to season it with a bitter type of herb to remind you of your bitter times in a bitter land in Egypt.' Now, that was not to remind them of the fact that they had a wrong attitude at times, but it was to remind them of bitter bondage, of grief, of sorrow, of forced labor, of all this kind of thing.

   We come on down to the time of David and Saul, we know that that Saul hated David. I'll just quickly go over a couple of these examples. And Saul, after a period of time of jealousy became extremely bitter against David and he became bitter against David and finally against God because he felt that that something was being taken away from him that he deserved. He felt that he was being treated unfairly. He felt that he was being taken over by someone much younger than he and he did not deserve it.

   So he became bitter against David and bitter against God to the point that it may have happened that even Saul became demon possessed, not only influenced but even possessed by a demon and they have died in that state. We're not quite sure on that. But the interesting parallel here is that not only Saul was tempted to become bitter, but David was also tempted to become bitter, wasn't he? Because David knew what God had promised? But many years went by when his life was being threatened, when he was running for his life, when he was living off the land, when he was hiding in caves, when he was fighting to protect himself against Saul. And he knew that he had the position, but he didn't know when he would receive it.

   Now, David was tempted to become bitter as well, wondering when God was going to fulfill his promises. And of course, you know the lesson from there that the reason David did not become bitter is because David continually went to a private place and he would get down before God and he would sing to God and praise God and pray to God to the point that he got his head screwed on right. And he realized that God was going to come through and fulfill his promises. So David did not get bitter because he kept his eyes on the promises of God. And as we go on into it, you'll find that really is the way we guard ourselves against becoming bitter.

   I'll guarantee you in this society—and I think we all recognize this—and with the troubles that the church of God is yet to go through, and the troubles and trials that we are individually going to be beset with is going to create some form of bitterness in you unless you and I are willing to do what David did. Now if you know some of the things that are going on behind closed doors right now, and some of the things that are going to come out against God's church in the future, if God does allow it—of course, God can stop it, we know that. But if God goes ahead and allows it, which very possibly he will as a trial to us and maybe even as a way to get us more well known, I don't know.

   But if the things that are planned come out against God's church that are already prepared and planned and if you and I are not trusting in God and looking to God and getting, you know, our heads screwed on straight, right where we're looking in the right direction and trusting in God and remembering the calling that we have been given and keeping our eyes on really becoming a member of God's family, we can become bitter—and it's very possible that many of God's people will become bitter. I mean, after all so far a lot have and why shouldn't it continue? Especially if things become more severe than they are right now.

   And once you get involved in bitterness, once you are caught up in bitterness, it's very, very difficult, if not, in some cases, impossible to get out of it. It's almost like, you know, an unpardonable sin—you just can't get released from it. So my warning this morning to me and to you, because I've experienced it as well is that we have to guard against it. When we see the root, we got to be willing to dig it up, burn it, dig it up, get rid of it. And look to God with a little bit more trust and a little bit more faith.

   Let's go to the New Testament right quickly and notice some of the places now with a little bit of the background of the example of Israel, maybe of David and Saul and so forth. Let's notice some New Testament warnings and examples. Let's turn back first of all to the book of Romans chapter three and verse nine (Romans 3:9). Romans chapter three, and in verse nine, and let's notice that first of all, Paul says that the world that we came out of is a world of bitterness.

   Now, the word 'bitter' simply means resentment. That's all it means. It's an attitude that we get into where we feel bad against someone else or something else to the point that we become extremely cynical and resentful. We become envious and jealous and we can't control those feelings. And as long as our mind has those feelings, can God's spirit work? Well, I think we can all answer that positively, that no—or answer it knowingly that no God's spirit cannot operate in that kind of an attitude.

   Let's notice the world that we have come out of—just like Israel came out of a bitter society and they were saved out of that society by Moses. And the only reason they were saved out of that society by Moses is because they repented. Likewise, the parallel is for us today: the society that we have come out of, which is a bitter society, is one that we've been saved out of, out of by Christ. And we've been saved out of it because we've been willing to repent.

   Now, Israel went back in—they, at least they had the attitude they wanted to go back in to bitterness. And that's a warning for us today not to return to a bitter attitude that we may have had before or we may have been susceptible to before because bitterness is not of God, bitterness is of a different spirit and of a different society.

   Notice Romans chapter three and verse nine, chapter three and verse nine: 'What then are we better than they?' Now here, as most of us know who've studied Romans the Apostle Paul is talking to the Jews and he's telling them that they are no better than the gentiles. 'Are we better than they? No, and no wise, for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles that they are all under sin.' So he's talking here then about society at large, isn't he? The society we've come out of, that all Jews and Gentiles are under the penalty of sin. 'As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one, there is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God.'

   So here we're not talking about God's church as such. We're talking here about the society in which God's church exists. 'They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable. There is none that does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues, they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.' Now, that was the age in which the Apostle Paul was living. And you know, I don't know how parallel we are today in, in this age, but I'm sure that we are closely paralleled in that our society is full of cursing and bitterness against one another and against what they claim to be God, feel that God is not fair to them.

   So that's the society out of which we have come. Now notice in the book of Acts a good example of a man who had turned his mind over to a different feeling and to a different spirit—book of Acts chapter eight—to the point that he had become bitter. And we find in this case that the Apostle, I believe it wasn't Peter in this case told this particular man unless he repented of the bitter attitude that he had allowed himself to get into that he was in trouble with God. Apparently, the man knew a lot. He must have understood a lot because it seems, seems to appear that God may have been in the process to a certain extent of judging the man.

   Acts chapter eight, I'm not saying judging him for salvation, but judging him for the knowledge he had. Acts chapter eight verse 19, the case here is Peter and he is talking to a man by the name of Simon who was a magician, a sorcerer, one who worked lying wonders. And this man wanted the power that Peter had. Now, what power did Peter have? Well, it says that when Peter laid his hands on baptized people that they received the gift of God's Holy Spirit, they received something that they didn't have before, something that was invisible and something that must have demonstrated itself in a miraculous way.

   And this man wanted it to the point that it says he became jealous of that power. In fact, other translations say that Simon became bitter with jealousy, or he became bitter with envy because he wanted something and he realized that there was no human way to get this power unless somehow another man would give it to him. Now, he asked Peter for that power dropping down to Acts chapter eight and verse 19 (Acts 8:19), he says, 'Give me also this power'—and that power is the one back in verse 17 of laying your hands on baptized people and they receiving God's Holy Spirit.

   Ok, he says, 'Give me also this power that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit.' But Peter said unto him, 'Thy money perish with you, because you have thought that the gift of God'—and that was the gift of being able to lay hands on people and you know, that authority to lay hands on them and know that God would give them God's spirit—'You have thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.' That is, that gift of that authority to do that. 'You have neither part nor lot in this matter for your heart is not right in the sight of God.'

   Now, no one knows how long, at least we don't know how long Simon may have been jealous of this power. You know, Simon may have been sneaking around behind the apostle Peter for a long time at this time because after all, we are you know, just a little while into the New Testament Church and he may have been sneaking around, he may have known of that power, heard of that power and seen that power and have become extremely jealous and envious of that power for possibly months.

   And he wanted that authority and Peter said, 'You can't buy it with money. You don't have any part, you don't have any lot in this matter.' In other words, you have not been chosen as an apostle, you have not been selected or called by God to this job. So you can't have any part in it for your heart is not right in the sight of God. So now we find the foundation that stuff out of which bitterness is made. First of all, is a wrong heart—there's something wrong with the heart.

   He says, 'Repent therefore of this thy wickedness and pray to God, if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.' So Simon must have understood enough that God was judging his actions because Peter told him repent and maybe God will forgive you if you really repent for 'I perceive that you are in'—notice the expression he uses—'I perceive that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.'

   Now, the gall of bitterness is not just plain old bitterness. Gall, um as we know, gall is an expression taken from something is very, very unpleasant. If you dress chickens and you dress ducks and what have you you know what gall bladder is and you know what the color of the stuff is of an extremely bitter you know, liquid. And if you get it on your meat, you just cut it out or throw it away or do something else with it because it is rendered distasteful and of no value. And the gall of bitterness is extremely deep bitterness. It's extremely severe bitterness to the point that a person might not be able to come out of it.

   And Peter recognize that in Simon and he said, 'Look Simon, you are bound up in iniquity. Unless God helps you, you're not going to be able to extricate yourself. And because of the attitude of jealousy that you have to me because you're not looking to God and trusting Him, you are also in a gall of deep bitterness of resentment against me because I won't perform what you feel I should perform. You won't do what you, I won't do what you feel I should do.'

   So there's a classic example in the book of Acts of a man not even converted. There's no indication that Simon, you know, is that he got baptized. You know, like us, all of us got baptized. He just simply asked to be baptized, but as far as being converted there's no indication that he was—hopefully he wasn't the attitude he was in. But anyway we find here an unrest and unrepentant attitude of bitterness and one that we are warned against getting into.

   Now let's go to the book of Hebrews and notice the classic example of the New Testament of bitterness or deep resentment because we feel that things may not be going like we feel they should. We might be bitter against someone else because of something they've done against us or they've said against us or maybe hopes that we had our expectations that we may have had, whether in society or within God's church have been dashed to a certain extent. And I think we all are touched with some of those things, whether it be in the world, whether it be in our marriage, whether it be in the church of God, there are certain hopes, there are certain things that we were clinging on to maybe falsely so that have been dashed to a certain extent.

   And I think that's good to make us realize that God is going to have to save us, that men can't save us, that society can't save us, that a church organization can't save us, that we can't save ourselves. God has to save us. I think God is going to finally bring all of us to the point to where we are totally reliant upon God. Else we really don't deserve to be in God's family. We've got to put full and total trust in God and God is going to dash away all of our wrong faiths.

   In the book of Hebrews chapter 12 and in verse 15 (Hebrews 12:15), let's notice this classic example. The Apostle Paul says, 'Looking diligently lest any man fail the grace of God.' Now, if you have a marginal reference, it says, 'Looking diligently, let any man fall from—fall from the grace of God.' And where, where, where would you be if you fell from the grace of God? Well, you would be outside of God's mercy, you'd be outside of the grace of God. You would be unconnected, you might say. You would not be in a condition of being forgiven by God. Because what is grace? The grace of God is the unmerited forgiveness, the unearned forgiveness that God grants. So to fall out from under that means to fall away from God, not be obeying God, not be in contact with God, not be under the blood of Jesus Christ.

   What is the classic way that is given here of falling out from under the grace of God? '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.'

   Now, this kind of thing is happening in God's church to where one person has become bitter, especially if that individual is somewhat influential, has become resentful or upset or bitter because of what others have done or what an individual has done or what they feel should have been done and wasn't done—not saying that things that may have been done were right or wrong. That's that really doesn't, you know, that that's not important one way or the other. But, when things that have been done or said against an individual are taken wrongly and we become bitter, it says very likely that we shall fall out from under or away from God's grace.

   So it simply means that if you and I continue to care for an attitude of bitterness that eventually, eventually we shall fall from God's grace and that's a pretty dangerous condition to be in. And you'll find here that the expression that the Apostle Paul uses, he doesn't say 'lest bitterness' or 'lest gall of bitterness rise up in your heart.' He says 'lest a root of bitterness springing up trouble you.'

   Now, what's the root of bitterness? Well, that's when bitterness first starts, isn't it? That's the time it commences. That's the root. In other words, the seed has fallen upon the soil, you might say upon our minds, some seed has gotten into our minds, something we may have experienced something that we were told something that we have seen and we feel that something is wrong, whether it be on your job or in your marriage, whether it be in God's church, no matter where it is, you know, anything can make you bitter.

   Satan really doesn't care what makes you bitter, whether it's truth or untruth, whether it's the world or whether it's God's church, you know, he doesn't care because bitterness will create the same thing no matter what the source of it is. But he says here now, once that seed takes residence in our mind and it begins to develop just a little bit of a root system, that's when we have to be conscious of it and be willing to try to dig it out, recognize it and get rid of it before it says before it springs up because once it springs up, then you have the seedling. And if you and you and I allow that seedling to continue to grow, before long, we're going to have a tree and then we're going to have some fruit on that tree, except the fruit on that tree is going to be what? It's going to be wrong fruit. It's going to be rotten fruit. It's going to be poisonous fruit. It's not going to be the fruit of God's spirit. It's going to be the fruit of a different society and of a different spirit that we'll read about here in just a few minutes.

   'Looking diligently, lest any man fail or fall from God's grace, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you and thereby many be defiled.' Because what do you and I do whenever something bothers us? Well, we try to find someone to talk to, don't we? Sure we do. I do, I don't know about you. I do if I, if something troubles me, the first thing I want to do is go and talk to someone else and see if they see it the way I do. Now, I'm not saying that's right. But that's the way we do it and we try to find someone else who has a, a willing ear and which is good as long as that willing ear doesn't necessarily you know, agree with us in every case.

   And we talk to them and more than likely they might get upset and then they're going to go to someone else and talk and that individual gets upset. And after a while, he says, 'Many are defiled,' not just one but many become defiled. Now, that's happened in God's ministry and it will continue to happen probably and it will happen within God's church. So we just need to be aware of it and do as David did. And that is to look to God and trust God and read the promises of God and keep our minds on something that's a lot bigger than our present disappointments or troubles.

   Then the present things that we feel have been dashed for one reason or the other looking diligently then 'lest any man fail from God's grace, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you and thereby many be defiled,' then gives the example of Esau. Now we won't go back to the example of Esau, but it does say that Esau became bitter because he lost his birthright and he had the birthright as a firstborn.

   And we know the story that he sold it for a bowl of soup, for a bowl of lentil soup, apparently, or some kind of pottage. And then later on realized he had made a mistake. But once he made that mistake, it was a binding thing, we found that it became binding and there was not a thing that Esau could do to change that mistake. He had sold his birthright and he had completely released himself from it. And now his brother owned his birthright and there was no way to get it back.

   So once Esau got into that attitude, God says it was all of the, you know, all the crying and all the desire to change, it would not accomplish a thing. His father could not change his mind. Once his father pronounced that birthright to Jacob, once he recognized that Jacob had it, there was no changing of that birthright. 'Lest there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright for, you know how that afterwards, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place of repentance though he sought it carefully with tears.'

   And then he goes on to say that we have come to something a lot greater than what Esau was offered. We have something a lot greater than just a physical plot of land that Esau was promised. We have a spiritual plot in the family and in the kingdom of God. So there is a, I think the classic example of the New Testament in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 15. And it shows that we can't wait until bitterness becomes full, fully grown and ripened. We can't wait until everybody in the world can recognize bitterness in us. We have to cut it off when it is still a root system and be willing with the help of God's spirit to dig it out and to change.

   Mr. Marrs was telling me yesterday about—we went out and had lunch together and he was telling me about a case of a man that he heard about. Some of you may have even heard about it. I'm not sure, but I think the man was a deacon back on the West Coast somewhere. And this man became involved in some of the things that happened in 1974. And as a result of, of hurt feelings and what have you, he was put out of the church in 1974.

   But somehow the man recognized and remembered that this was God's church and he continued to keep the Sabbath. He continued to keep the holy days. He continued on his own to do what he knew and he should do. And here it is 1980—understand that finally, because of not becoming bitter, not turning off from God, not falling out from under the grace of God, recognizing his mistake and going on and obeying God alone—six years later, he's back in the congregation. He's back within the fellowship of the church.

   Now, while one man came back, how many have become bitter, how many have been put out for one reason or the other, maybe some legitimately, maybe some mistakes? Who knows because every man is going to judge a little differently. Every minister is going to judge a little differently while one may put out a man for something or an individual for something. Another may say it just a little differently and not put that man out. That's why it's very important to recognize bitterness and stay within the grace of God no matter what happens.

   Now, this man is back in. But what about the many dozens who have gone out and become bitter, who have gone out and turned away not only from God's church and become bitter against individuals and against Mr. Armstrong and so forth, but had become even bitter against God to the point that they refused, absolutely refused to obey anything that they previously proved and they become hardened, they become unresilient, they become unrepentant and probably in some of those cases may never repent and they have to go into the lake of fire because of those initial mistakes of allowing the root of bitterness to grow.

   So my warning to me and my warning to all of us this morning is to recognize the root, recognize the subtle attitude in ourselves and be willing with the help of God to go on our knees privately, to pray and ask God to help us to eradicate, to dig that thing out and destroy it and then to put in its place, the promises of God. And unless we are willing to do that, I wouldn't doubt that things are going to happen relative to God's church, they will embitter us, that will turn us away from God. After all, that's what Satan is out to do. It is not man's fault, it is not God's fault. It is the devil's fault and you and I have the freedom to choose that way or to reject it.

   Let's go now to, to continue in Hebrews, but continue in verse 18 (Hebrews 12:18). Let's notice how to guard against this root of bitterness or guard against this resentment, this turned off attitude, this cynical attitude toward people and toward God's church or toward the world or toward our mate, you know, or to somebody else. I don't care what it is. But if we become bitter, the result is going to be the same, whether it's bitterness outside against the, you know, the world or against another individual or against one another in the church or against, you know, a doctrine of the church or against what you and I feel maybe the church should be doing. As long as Satan accomplishes the spirit of bitterness, he's got us.

   And sorry to say a number of my good friends that I've been very, very close to in the very recent past no longer within God's church—men who have been in the ministry, men who have not been in the ministry and to see their lives continue to go down the drain, so to speak and no longer attend, you know began now to keep the Sabbath quote unquote 'a little differently.' Look at some of God's laws a little differently and slowly and, and assuredly slip away. It's kind of sad and it can happen to me, you, any one of us unless we guard against it.

   How do we guard against bitterness? Well, first of all recognize that you are susceptible, recognize that you're a candidate just like anybody else. In fact, you and I are the, can our candidates more than the world obviously? Because there is an enemy, there is a devil that has a cynical spirit that is a resentful being and has the power to inject that spirit into our minds.

   Let's notice how to guard against it—Hebrews chapter 12 and verse one (Hebrews 12:1). Going back to the context of this subject of bitterness, let's go back to chapter 12 and verse one. And the Apostle Paul says, now the laying the groundwork for what he's talking about, he says we need to recognize the company or the cloud of witnesses. That is of the Bible, the examples of the Bible, the examples of the Old Testament and realize that we're not living lives any differently than anybody else has, that we're not being tried any differently than people in the past have been tried, that we are not being tempted with bitterness any differently than others.

   Recognize the cloud of witnesses. 'Let us lay aside every weight'—the word weight means encumbrance, anything that encumbers or pulls us down or drags on us—'and the sin.' So we're not only to look look around us and try to get rid of encumbrances, but also get rid of sins. They pull us down, 'which does so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.' So we first of all have got to recognize, not only that we are susceptible to bitterness, but we've got to determine in our minds that we're going to continue to run the race that we have been chosen to run.

   'Looking then unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith.' So we have to realize that the only way that we have begun running this race is because God called us. And we recall through Jesus Christ, he is the author of our calling the author of our salvation. 'Looking then unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.' So he's got to finish it. And unless the spirit of Jesus Christ continues to live in our minds, we cannot finish the race.

   And the spirit of Jesus Christ is God's Holy Spirit. And the only way that Holy Spirit will continue to operate in our minds is if we ask for it. And number two, obey God. We all know the formula—we ask for it, we are baptized and converted and we continue to obey God, we continue to run the race despite the encumbrances and despite the potential bitterness and despite what people might tell you or do against you, because it goes on to say, 'Looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.'

   He looked beyond the present troubles and the things that even could have invited Christ, but he wouldn't allow it. 'And despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God, consider him that endured such contradiction'—or as the Moffitt says, 'Consider him that endured such hostility.' You know, things didn't always go right for Christ, did they? People didn't always treat him the best, didn't, things that he felt people should have done were not always done. Possibly expectations of others were dashed. So he endured all kinds of hostility, contradiction of sinners against himself, 'Lest you be wearied and faint in your minds.'

   So we have to keep our eyes then on the calling that God has given us, we have to keep our eyes on Jesus Christ as a living being and realize that the spirit of Jesus Christ has to remain in us in order to finish the race.

   Now, let's go on to verse 22—no verse 13 (Hebrews 12:13). In verse 13 he continues with the thought and 'make straight paths for your feet.' In other words, get our lives straightened out, analyze our lives and make straight paths, not crooked paths but straight paths for our feet, 'Lest that which is lame'—and bitterness is a form of lameness—'lest that which is lame, be turned out of the way.'

   And if we become bitter and lame within the body of Christ, then we're going to be turned away. We're going to be as the Moffitt says, dislocated like a, you know, a member of the body, a member of the framework, a member of the house of God who becomes dislocated, dislodged and very possibly come out from under the grace of God and lose contact with God. Bitterness will cut us off from God. We really need to guard against it, 'Make straight paths for your feet lest that which is lame, be turned out of the way but let it rather be healed.' So we can heal—God can heal us.

   'Follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man can see the Lord.' What do you become bitter about? Do you become bitter because you're blessed? No. Do you become bitter because you have to go to the Feast of Tabernacles? Probably not. Do you become bitter because you have to attend Sabbath services? Well, more than likely, probably not because we don't have too much evil going on here. I don't think, you know, it's kind of pleasant to come and see people and not have to work during this day and go home and rest in the afternoon. It's good.

   What do we become bitter about? More than likely we become bitter against another person. We become bitter and antagonistic against other people because we feel that they are wrong and we are right, which may be the case. That may be very true. Others may be sinning and you may not be sinning and you might be the one that becomes the bitter person because we began to judge other people and feel well they should be doing this or that or they should be better than that. Or I felt that they were more of an example than that. And then we become bitter and they might repent and change and be in God's family, and we would be out because of bitterness.

   We become bitter against other people against what they do or say—that's why he says in order to guard against bitterness, make straight paths for your feet. In verse 14, 'Strive to follow peace with all men.' Strive to be willing to forgive one another, accept one another, be tolerant of one another and work together harmoniously or peacefully. 'Follow peace with all men and holiness.' So strive for peace, strive to have a holy attitude and contact with one another 'without which no man shall see the Lord.' Simply means that unless we continue to seek peace with one another and forgive one another and forgive mistakes of one another that we shall not be in God's family.

   Now let's go to Ephesians—excuse me, Hebrews 12 and verse 18. Hebrews 12 and verse 18 (Hebrews 12:18), the Apostle Paul says, then to be able to avoid the root of bitterness, to get away from that kind of an attitude, we need again to focus our minds on what we've been called to—that we have not been called into a human denomination of men.

   Now when you were baptized the following statement was asked of you and of me. First of all, 'Have you completely repented of your sins?' Now, I haven't had anybody yet to say no. And if they said no, I don't know what I'd do—baptizing for a bad attitude, I don't know what. And I've had some say, 'Well, I'm not quite sure,' you know, we have a moment of silence and and go on to explain to him a little bit more about what repentance is. 'Oh yeah, I see what you mean. Ok. Well, I really have repented. I thought you meant that I have, I repented and know that I'll never sin again' or something like that.

   Well, 'Have you repented?' 'Yes.' 'Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior in payment for your sins?' 'Yes.' Let me go on to say then basically that as a result of your repentance of all of your past sins, and because you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior and payment for your sins and you've accepted him as your high priest in heaven, and you've accepted him as your Lord and as your master and as your soon coming King to the earth, I am now going to baptize you not into a human denomination of men.

   In other words, we're not joining a church. You know, we're not joining the assemblies of God or the Emanuel Baptist church or the Foursquare Gospel. But we are being put into a spiritual body. 'I baptize you not into a human denomination of men, but I baptize you into the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.' And now we have begun down the road of salvation or what Paul calls a race. And unless we finish that race, no matter what our intentions may have been initially, unless we finish the race, there is no reward, there is no trophy.

   So if we become bitter somewhere along the race, we get mad because somebody's, you know, cut in front of us, somebody kicked dirt in our face or we feel someone has done us in or jumped in front of us in the lane or whatever, all the things that happen to those who race and we've become bitter and stopped the race. There's no reward. In fact, Christ says it would have been better what? Not to have begun the race, didn't he? Sure, not to have begun the race. Because if you never began the race, you can't be judged for stopping. But now that we've all begun the race and we've all aimed our lives at God's family, the Bible says we've got to set our minds on finishing it and be aware of bitterness.

   That one of the main reasons that people quit the race is because they get bitter against others and they feel that others have done them in or said things or treated them wrongly, you know, or may have set a poor example for them. They began to judge the church. Many people judge Mr. Herbert Armstrong personally. So, you know, we just have to be very careful and get away from all that kind of thing. And the judge, like the Bible says, the Bible says, the only people, you and I have the authority to judge is ourselves when it comes to judging actions and the, you know, the spirit of the action, judge ourselves. So set straight paths for ourselves.

   And verse 18, it reminds us now what we've been called to, the kind of race we've been called into. 'You are not come onto the mountain'—referring to Mount Sinai that Israel was at the base of—'you are not come under the mount that might be touched.' In other words, you can't go up and touch this, this mountain that we've been called to, that might be touched. 'You have not been called to a mountain that burns with fire, nor with brightness and darkness and tempest.'

   Now you recall when Israel came to Mount Sinai, it did all those things, didn't it? It became dark. You know, it began to tremble and, and rumble and the voice of God shouted and they wanted to get away from that mountain. And God says here through Paul, 'You have not come to a mountain that can be touched. You've not even come to a mountain that trembles. You've not even come to a mountain of darkness.'

   But in verse 22, 'You have come onto Mount Zion'—referring to the spiritual calling of the Kingdom of God—'You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God and the heavenly Jerusalem to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and the church of the firstborn'—the only church of God, we've been called to God's church. A unique calling, a unique opportunity. Why throw it aside by becoming resentful—'to the general assembly and the church of the Firstborn, which are written in heaven. And to God, the judge of all and to the spirits of just men made perfect. And to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel—see that you refuse not Him that speaks.'

   And we've been reading this morning what he speaks, 'For if they escaped not who refused him that spoke on earth much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaks from heaven whose voice then shook the earth. But now he has promised saying yet once more, I shake not the earth only but also heaven.'

   So we're now living in the time when those words will be fulfilled, when God shall not only shake Mount Sinai, but God shall shake the heavens. And 'this word'—verse 27—'yet once more.' And that's quotations and this word quote 'yet once more' unquote signifies the removing of those things that are shaken as the things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

   And the only thing that is going to finally remain when God gets through shaking is going to be the spiritual things, the character of God, the family of God, the kingdom of God. We have to be sure that we're shooting toward that family where we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved. Let us have grace—or as the margin says, let us hold fast, let us avoid resentment, bitterness and hold fast to the promises that God has made us—whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and Godly fear for our God is a consuming fire and you and I are the ones that will be consumed. It's the sad thing about it unless we are within the grace of God.

   And we've already read and one of the quickest ways to get out from under the grace of God is to become bitter. So if any of us are wrestling with that problem—I've wrestled with it, you may be wrestling with it. If not, you will. And when you wrestle with it, remember the promises of God that if you allow it to take root and to spring up, then it will take you out from under the grace of God. And once out from under the grace of God, God is a consuming fire.

   Let's notice two quick exhortations. James chapter three—let's skip James. Let's go to Ephesians chapter four. James talks a little bit about it. Let's go to Ephesians chapter four and notice a closing exhortation. Mhm. And if I can find it, Ephesians, Ephesians chapter four in verse 22 (Ephesians 4:22). Ephesians four verse 22 he talks about again, reminding us of the calling we've been given—the fact that in this calling, we are required by God to put on a new man, not to be the same old person, not to be the same old individual that is susceptible to bitterness at every turn.

   We have to fight against that kind of thing. 'You put off concerning the former conduct, the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust.' And Paul goes on to say, 'Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.' Now, initially, when we read this back in Acts 8, what was the problem with Simon? Peter said, the reason that you've gotten into a gall of bitterness, the reason you've gotten into this resentful, jealous, envious and hateful attitude is because you have a wrong heart. He says your heart is wrong. You don't have a right relationship with God at all.

   And in closing, what does Paul say to the Ephesian church? He says, remember that God has called you to a job with the help of God's spirit of changing the heart or putting on a new spirit. 'Be renewed then in the spirit of your mind that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness, wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor.' And then dropping on down to verse 29, 'Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying.'

   In most cases, it's better to not even repeat things that we hear. Now, you know how hard that is. Now, you may not have a problem with that, but to say that you don't have a problem with it would be a lie, because the first thing we wanna do when we hear something is what? Repeat it. And especially if we can find somebody else that has the same feeling we do, because it makes us feel good. It makes me feel good anyway, I don't know about you. But if I can find somebody else that has the same feeling about something I do, it makes me feel good, even though I know inside you're wrong and you have to repent of that and try to stay away from that kind of thing.

   One of the greatest downfalls that we humans have, and that is to hear something or find out something or whatever and then immediately want to find somebody else and bend their ear. And as Hebrew says, "Many be defiled." Ephesians, in going on in chapter four and verse 20, 20—verse 30 (Ephesians 4:30): "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption."

   So we keep God's spirit active in our lives, and we pray daily, and we look into God's word to find out what God wants us to do. And we try with the help of God to get rid of any root of bitterness. And if we find that we are getting a little upset, troubled, deeply troubled to the point that we are becoming resentful about something, really cry out to God to change that. We've got to nip it in the bud, or else it's gonna grow, it really will.

   He says, "Grieve not God's spirit, whereby you are sealed under the day of redemption, let all bitterness." So the Ephesians were having a problem with it. You have a problem with it, and I do. "Let all bitterness, along with wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking, be put away from you with all malice."

   Now, is that to say, brethren, that then we're all of a sudden to say, "Well, everything we might hear is wrong or everything we hear is untrue"? Well, that would be naive and dumb, wouldn't it? That would be self-deception. And I know people who refuse to believe that anything they hear, whether it be troubles in the church, troubles in the ministry, troubles maybe in their local congregation or whatever, they say, "Well, that couldn't be true. That's absolutely not true. I know it couldn't be true." And if somebody else, "Well, it sure is, and here's documented fact," which is not a—not a way to handle it. But if they can even do that, person still refuses to say that it's true.

   Now, that's self-deception. It's one thing to say something is true and then allow that truth to embitter you. It's another thing to go ahead and accept reality. And I think that's one thing you and I are gonna have to do, is accept reality that we live in a world that is influencing God's church. And God's church does and has had problems, and it will continue to have problems; otherwise, it's not composed of human beings.

   But the lesson God wants us to learn, that even though it's composed of all of us wretches, somehow God can go ahead and use us and save us. That's the beautiful part of it. See, it magnifies God. We have to accept that reality. And I know people personally who live daily in self-deception, and when reality finally comes and they are able somehow along this line to face the fact that there have been problems, it's going to be hard for them to accept, and maybe they won't be able to.

   I'm not saying go out and try to find out whatever you can find out. That would be ridiculous. The Bible says don't do that. But if for some reason, you know, you are faced with reality, sometimes go ahead and accept it. Accept the fact that we human beings are sinners and we make big mistakes, and yet God is able to forgive us. Can He? Every time we repent, God says, "I'll forgive you. If you will repent, I'll forgive you."

   And we're not gonna make it into God's family, living unreality, deceiving ourselves and playing games with our minds. We've got to accept reality and somehow—I don't know, we get the idea, I've had it in the past, I think we all have—that when you first come into God's church that no wrong can be done. Yes wrong can be done? It always has. Why can't it continue in our age? And it has been done, it probably will be done in the future.

   We have to look to God and realize God's—it's God's church, not our church. It—we are not baptized into a human denomination of men. And if you're in the Foursquare Gospel, then get mad, you know, and start cussing out all kinds of people, you know, and kick the preacher out. But in God's church, it's a spiritual organization. We've been called to a spiritual assembly, and we've been called to realize that we've all been called in as sinners, and sin continues to a certain degree and it crops up at times.

   It does in your life. It did on one occasion in Frank Pierce's life. I remember, didn't he get mad one time? Yeah, he—he made a mistake one time. And uh, and my wife said I made one, one time, and you made one several times, and you know, we all make mistakes. And if you can make a mistake, so can I, and so can everybody else. And we need to recognize that, live with it, be thankful to God that God is willing to forgive any one of us and, go on from there and shoot toward God's kingdom.

   OK. Let's finish this up here. Ephesians chapter four and verse—uh, verse 30: "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed under the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. Be kind one to another, be tenderhearted."

   Now don't be willing to be touched by others' mistakes. If somebody comes up and says, "Man, I got drunk last night," don't scream, you know, and—and—and beat your head against the wall and kick the guy on the side and try to put him out of the church. Pray for him and be tenderhearted and help the guy. Now, hopefully none of us did that. But, you know, if that happened, what would you do? I know people who shriek. Might hit the guy with a bottle—with a bottle of whiskey right over the head, you know, say, "Repent!" or whatever. I'll say, "Look, I'll pray for you. You'll help you," or whatever can be done, you know, and let's not do it anymore. Let's work together and—and keep this thing quiet and pray for one another and help one another.

   Be tenderhearted toward other people's problems because sooner or later you're gonna have to go with yours. Be tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you. Now, we can maintain any kind of semblance of that attitude, we're gonna be a lot better off. And if we can just remember that we have been called as human beings into a human collection of people, but a spiritual organization, and we are shooting for something spiritual.

   We're shooting for the Kingdom of God, and we can allow present problems—whether they be personal things in your life or in society or in your marriage or in employment or within the administration, possibly of God's church, or personal feelings that you or I have against one other person or several people—to get us bitter. We can't afford that because bitterness destroys God's spirit in you. Peace, it says, destroys bitterness. I didn't read that scripture—that's in James three verse 17 and 18 (James 3:17-18)—that peace destroys bitterness.

   So we maintain peace, one with the other and peace with God, and allow God's spirit to flow through of us and roll along with everything else, you know, and accept one another for what we are like. Israel had to accept David for what he was, and they were better off for it, weren't they? And David had to accept himself for what he was. And once everybody accepted everybody else, then things got along a lot better and since then were eradicated and troubles were solved.

   And that can be the same thing in God's church, and it will—it will happen and it's good as long as we all will fight against, with the help of God's spirit, any kind of root of bitterness. So that root does not spring up, develop a tree, produce some poisonous fruit. And then we find ourselves in the gall of bitterness. Once in the gall of bitterness, we might not be able to repent. And if we can't repent, we fall out from under the grace of God, we fall out from under the grace of God. God is a consuming fire.