1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:12,440 Welcome to the Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. We are a Bible-Believing Church located 2 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:16,680 in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. We are proudly part of the Christian Fellowship 3 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:21,920 Ministries with 3,000 churches around the world. We are a church focused on world evangelism, 4 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:27,300 discipleship and church planting. Here we will share recent sermons from P.H.S.A. Church 5 00:00:27,300 --> 00:00:31,880 and other sermons from throughout our fellowship. I am Pastor David Bigford and I will be your 6 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:36,420 host for this podcast. I thank you for listening today and we hope these messages are a blessing 7 00:00:36,420 --> 00:00:40,560 to you and bring you closer to God. 8 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:51,640 Hello and welcome back to the Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. Thank you for coming back 9 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:59,400 again. Today the message I put together is called, A Bitter and Disillusioned Man. I 10 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:05,200 want to also thank you for those who have been listening to the podcast with the extra 11 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:09,640 messages that have been put in for our conference. I have a few other bonus messages that I am 12 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:14,080 going to be throwing up that are not exactly from the conference. The conference is typically 13 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:20,200 17 sermons within the shot, but there are a few messages that were from the Sunday previous 14 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:27,520 and I am going to throw those in as well as bonus sermons onto the podcast. I think that 15 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:33,880 will be a good help to us all and I look forward to adding those. Let's dive in to A Bitter 16 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:40,040 and Disillusioned Man or the three B's, bitter, better and best. The text we are going to 17 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:49,320 be using is Acts 8, 21-23. We all live in an age or a time that is full of entertainment, 18 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:54,800 every sort of distraction possible. Some will call it consumerism, capitalism, corporatism 19 00:01:54,800 --> 00:02:00,560 or any other kind of ism that we find ourselves attracted to. With everything at our fingertips 20 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:07,160 you would think that we could find peace and tranquility, but that doesn't seem to be so. 21 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:12,720 Why is it that with all this saturation of entertainment, food, content on the internet, 22 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:21,800 we seem to be helplessly and hopelessly depressed as a society? It is an interesting thought 23 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:25,440 that we need to dive into. We need to have a better understanding for. Let's look at 24 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:33,200 our text, Acts 8, 21-23. You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart 25 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:39,040 is not right before God. Repent therefore of the wickedness of yours and pray to the 26 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:44,440 Lord that if possible the intent of your heart may be forgiven to you, for I see that you 27 00:02:44,440 --> 00:02:50,360 are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. Let's go ahead and pray. Dear 28 00:02:50,360 --> 00:03:00,640 Lord God, I pray that this message will cut the heart of a hardened heart, of a person's 29 00:03:00,640 --> 00:03:07,460 hardened heart. I pray that this would be able to penetrate the walls that we put up 30 00:03:07,460 --> 00:03:13,120 to try to keep at bay the word of God, for we all put up walls at times because of what 31 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:19,240 we watch, what we listen to, but I pray that your word will cut through that, all that 32 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:25,960 noise and help us today as we dive into your word. In Jesus' name, amen. 33 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:31,000 So let's take a look at some numbers here. Antidepressant use is something that we know 34 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:37,760 to be on the rise and users that typically use this like by the numbers by statistics 35 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:46,000 end up being a lot of times older adults, non-Hispanic whites and women. 12.7% of the 36 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:52,960 US population over the age of 12 took antidepressant medication in the past month. According to 37 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:57,720 analysis from the National Center of Health Statistics, most antidepressants are used 38 00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:04,560 to obviously treat depression. 64% is the increase in the percentage of people using 39 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:13,520 antidepressants between the period of 1999 and 2014. In 1999, 7.7% of the population 40 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:20,160 was taking this medication. Something is happening in our society that is causing people to live 41 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:30,800 a life with more like more depressed or with less hope for the future. 19.1% of older adults 42 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:37,840 over 60 took antidepressants within the same period of time. So antidepressant use increases 43 00:04:37,840 --> 00:04:48,200 with age. These medications are used by 16.6% of people ages 40 to 59, 7.8% of those 20 44 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:58,520 to 39 and 3.4% of adolescents 12 to 19. So women are also two times more likely to take 45 00:04:58,520 --> 00:05:04,360 antidepressant medication. And I could argue that that has a lot to do with our society 46 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:17,000 pushing on women, unrealistic expectations and ungodly understanding of how society is 47 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:22,280 supposed to live in a godly format. And I'm not trying to make some sort of weird claims 48 00:05:22,280 --> 00:05:28,120 here. It's just simply that if you were to look at under the law and Judaism and how 49 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:32,920 things were looking at women ran businesses, women took care of lots of responsibilities. 50 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:38,520 They were very forthright, but they also had a deep connection to family. And what I see 51 00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:45,920 in society today is this tearing down of family that is very, very sad and hard for us to 52 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:53,160 understand. But it's the tearing down of family that I believe impacts women at a far greater 53 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:59,160 amount than it does young men. Young men end up with different issues and they are typically 54 00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:04,040 quieter with the way that they deal with their depression. But I do believe that on both 55 00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:12,800 cases and both groups, the tearing down of God and faith and then ultimately the family 56 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:19,040 unit is a big reason for a lot of these increases. So the percentage of non-Hispanic white Americans 57 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:23,840 taking antidepressants is roughly 16 and a half percent, about three times as much as 58 00:06:23,840 --> 00:06:33,200 any other race or ethnic group. So by comparison, 5.6% of non-Hispanic Blacks Americans, 5% 59 00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:40,640 of Hispanic Americans, and 3.4% of non-Hispanic Asian Americans took antidepressants in this 60 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:46,800 past month. So what's the root of this problem? What causes bitterness and how do we combat 61 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:52,200 this poison in our lives? So let's look first at this idea of bitterness and how this ties 62 00:06:52,200 --> 00:07:01,800 in with depression or hopelessness. Then we'll be able to better see a better way and ultimately 63 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:15,280 the best way, which is through Christ Jesus. Praise God. So Bruce Goodrich was being initiated 64 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:21,360 into the cadet corps at Texas A&M University. And one night Bruce was forced to run until 65 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:26,640 he dropped, but he never got up. Bruce Goodrich died before he even entered college. A short 66 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:32,880 time after the tragedy, Bruce's father wrote this letter to the administration, the faculty, 67 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:37,900 the student body, and the corps of cadets. I would like to take this opportunity to express 68 00:07:37,900 --> 00:07:43,960 the appreciation of my family for the great outpouring of concern and sympathy from Texas 69 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:49,480 A&M University and the college community over the loss of our son Bruce. We were deeply 70 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:54,080 touched by the tribute paid to him and the battalion. We were particularly pleased to 71 00:07:54,080 --> 00:08:00,040 note that his Christian witness did not go unnoticed during his brief time on campus. 72 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:05,240 Mr. Goodrich went on, I hope it will be for some comfort to know that we harbor no ill 73 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:11,800 will in the matter. We know our God makes no mistakes and Bruce had an appointment with 74 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:18,360 his Lord and he is now secure in his celestial home. When the question is asked, why did 75 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:24,840 this happen? Perhaps one answer will be so that many will consider where they will spend 76 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:29,300 eternity. 77 00:08:29,300 --> 00:08:34,720 So bitter. Bitterness is something that we can read about throughout all the New Testament. 78 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:38,960 It's a theme that we see repeated over and over again and there's a good reason for the 79 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:43,840 constant repeating of this theme. Bitterness is something that we all have to battle with. 80 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:50,480 The cost of bitterness is extremely high and left untreated can cost you more than just 81 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:58,200 your life. Bitterness is symbolic of the affliction or misery and servitude. We see examples of 82 00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:05,440 this portrayed in Exodus 1 14 or Ruth 120 or Jeremiah 9 15. The Chaldeans are called 83 00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:11,960 the bitter and hasty nation in Abacov 1 6. The gall of bitterness expresses a state of 84 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:18,440 great wickedness in our text Acts 23. So a root of bitterness is a wicked person or a 85 00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:25,560 dangerous sin and you can read that in Hebrews 12 15. So as we think about all these mentions 86 00:09:25,560 --> 00:09:30,600 of bitterness or being bitter in the scripture, we need to recognize that there are some significant 87 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:38,400 dangers that lie under the surface of allowing bitterness to grab ahold of your heart. Oftentimes 88 00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:45,400 sorrow and pain can lead to depression, but I've also seen that bitterness can grab someone's 89 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:52,240 heart and draw them into deep bitterness. Sometimes bitterness can happen when we don't 90 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:58,120 get a promotion that we feel entitled to or when a friend doesn't reach out to us to go 91 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:04,760 out but yet they invite someone else and we get jealous. So we can be covetous of our 92 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:11,960 neighbor and that can create bitterness within our heart. The Passover was meant to be eaten 93 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:17,720 with bitter herbs and we see that in Exodus 12 8 and Numbers 9 11. The kind of herbs so 94 00:10:17,720 --> 00:10:22,840 designated we aren't quite sure of. It's kind of lost to history to some extent, but 95 00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:28,600 probably they were any bitter herb that was obtainable at the place and time when Passover 96 00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:36,440 was being celebrated. They represented the severity and the servitude under which the 97 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:42,320 people groaned and have been regarded also as typical of the suffering of Christ. So 98 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:49,960 here we have this annual tradition or this festival of Passover where the eating of bitter 99 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:58,240 herbs is to show how hard the servitude was for the people of Israel and the typically 100 00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:03,080 suffering of Jesus Christ. Can you imagine you're having this festival and you have to 101 00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:09,520 eat something that is purposely bitter? It's an interesting thought and it's so that we 102 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:18,760 recognize the sharpness of what bitterness is represented in our lives. So these illustrations 103 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:23,240 and rituals of bitterness are needed so that we don't forget the costs associated with 104 00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:29,440 allowing bitterness to creep into our hearts and to control our lives. So let's take a 105 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:35,400 look at the tale of two monks. One day two monks were walking through the countryside. 106 00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:40,240 They were on their way to another village to help bring in the crops and as they walked 107 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:44,520 they spied an old woman sitting on the edge of a river. She was upset because there was 108 00:11:44,520 --> 00:11:49,920 no bridge and she could not get across on her own. The first monk kindly offered, we 109 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:55,340 will carry you across if you'd like. Thank you, she said gratefully accepting their help. 110 00:11:55,340 --> 00:12:00,440 So the two men joined hands and lifted her between them and carried her across the river. 111 00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:04,200 When they got to the other side, they set her down and she went on her way. After they 112 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:09,040 had walked another mile or so, the second monk began to complain. Look at my clothes, 113 00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:12,960 he said. They are filthy from carrying that woman across the river and my back is still 114 00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:19,160 hurts or my back still hurts from lifting her. I can feel it getting stiff. The first 115 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:24,240 monk just smiled and nodded his head. A few more miles up the road, the second monk griped 116 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:29,240 again. My back is hurting me so badly and it is all because we had to carry that silly 117 00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:34,920 woman across the river. I cannot go any farther because of this pain. The first monk looked 118 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:40,740 down at his partner loud lying on the ground moaning. Have you wondered why I'm not complaining? 119 00:12:40,740 --> 00:12:47,360 The other monk asked. Your back hurts because you're still carrying the woman. But I set 120 00:12:47,360 --> 00:12:55,400 her down five miles ago. This is what many of us like our are like dealing with our families. 121 00:12:55,400 --> 00:13:00,200 We are the second monk who cannot let go. We hold the pain of the past over our loved 122 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:06,920 ones heads like a club. Or we remind them every once in a while when we get, you know, 123 00:13:06,920 --> 00:13:12,440 when we want to get the upper hand. We remind them of the burden we still carry because 124 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:18,940 of something they did years ago. Living a life full of bitterness is kind of like eating 125 00:13:18,940 --> 00:13:25,320 a food you despise every day while looking at a table full of foods you like that are 126 00:13:25,320 --> 00:13:30,760 laid out in front of you. So I hate bananas, the smell, the texture, everything about them. 127 00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:35,200 I'm just not a fan of the banana. Now you might think that's crazy, but you know what? 128 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:39,320 You're going to say, oh, bananas have great potassium. It's all right. Bacon has more 129 00:13:39,320 --> 00:13:44,440 potassium than banana. I'll just stick with the bacon. So if I was a sit at the table 130 00:13:44,440 --> 00:13:52,320 though and only eat bananas, I would be pretty darn miserable. Now if I choose to eat only 131 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:57,720 those bananas, even though there's like a juicy tomahawk steak or let's say, you know, 132 00:13:57,720 --> 00:14:03,440 there's a, you know, a nice bacon wrap steak. Now you're talking about it, right? They would, 133 00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:10,000 you call me insane to sit there and eat something that I can't, that like is just disgusting 134 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:18,080 to me. But that's like choosing to hold on to bitterness or unforgiveness, anger, envy, 135 00:14:18,080 --> 00:14:26,520 malice when there is a better way. When we allow these feelings of anxiety or depression 136 00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:33,760 to grow within our lives, like bit and bitterness and the stuff to grow in our lives, we allow 137 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:40,640 it to choke out the things of God. We allow it to disrupt what God is wanting to do in 138 00:14:40,640 --> 00:14:47,240 our lives. So this brings me to my next point, which is better. God gives us a clear insight 139 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:53,160 into a better way. And that way starts with forgiveness. We see this message repeated 140 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:58,760 in the old Testament. The idea is that vengeance is the Lord's. God will right the wrongs and 141 00:14:58,760 --> 00:15:04,560 punish the wicked. This is meant to remove the reaction from our hands and to leave it 142 00:15:04,560 --> 00:15:11,640 up to God to leave it with the Lord. This is the path to forgiveness and letting go 143 00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:16,400 of that root of bitterness. And when you do this, when you give these things over to God, 144 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:22,760 whether it be bitterness or anxiety or any of these kinds of emotions, you know, anger, 145 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:28,760 when you give it up to the Lord, that is the better path. So in Ephesians four 31 to 32, 146 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:35,040 it says, let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from 147 00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:43,040 you along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another 148 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:53,880 as God and Christ forgave you. What a powerful portion of scripture. It's a very difficult 149 00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:59,920 portion of scripture. I don't deny that. And as we enter into these political arenas that 150 00:15:59,920 --> 00:16:04,200 are coming up and in the United States, then, you know, in the next year or so in Canada 151 00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:07,800 as well, when we come up to these political things, we need to remember that we're not 152 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:15,000 the ones that are meant to be fighting. Yes, we pray. Yes, we do the right thing. Yes, 153 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:21,400 we vote according to our conscience of the word of God. Of course we do, but we do not 154 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:28,360 allow for bitterness to grab ahold of our heart. We do not take up the weapons of wrath 155 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:34,880 and anger. We do not run around screaming, clamoring and slandering people. We put all 156 00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:42,800 that aside. We be kind to one another. We allow ourselves to be tender hearted, forgiving 157 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:50,760 those who hurt us just as God has forgiven you and I. So the caterpillar and the butterfly 158 00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:57,120 is another story that I came across that's pretty cool. I like this story. So seems there 159 00:16:57,120 --> 00:17:01,480 was an enemy that had a beautiful princess trapped in a palace tower, right? It's the 160 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:07,280 old, you know, damsel in the stress up in the tower story. The strong, handsome knight 161 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:11,680 loved this princess so much that he wanted to do a surprise attack and free the princess 162 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:18,800 from their enemy and bring her home. But how could he tell her to be ready for the escape? 163 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:23,480 So he decided to get some help from his friends and some friends that are going to be able 164 00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:28,800 to help notify her of the escape so she'll be ready. So the knight spoke to Mr. Caterpillar 165 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:34,360 and asked Mr. Caterpillar to scale the wall of the palace, you know, to go up the tower 166 00:17:34,360 --> 00:17:38,880 and warn the lady to be ready for the daring escape. So Mr. Caterpillar complained and 167 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:46,000 complained, do I have to? You mean, do I have to climb that high wall just to tell her you 168 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:51,120 will be there Thursday morning at 5 a.m. to set her free? So reluctantly, Mr. Caterpillar 169 00:17:51,120 --> 00:17:59,040 began his cat is climb up that steep wall. It was dark and as cold and he as he began, 170 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:03,920 he ascended up to the heights of the wall. Mr. Caterpillar fussed and fussed and then 171 00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:09,320 the sun came out and the heat was so bad that each step required effort. During the night, 172 00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:15,040 the rain came down and Mr. Caterpillar griped and griped. And finally, the next day, Mr. 173 00:18:15,040 --> 00:18:21,080 Caterpillar made it to the window ledge. He was exhausted and he felt unappreciated. Mr. 174 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:26,440 Caterpillar yelled over to the lady, you are not nearly as pretty as I thought you would 175 00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:33,840 be. He asked, are you the damsel in distress? The lady nodded yes. Mr. Caterpillar thought 176 00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:40,520 I climbed all the way here for this. He complained to the lady and waiting. You mean I climb 177 00:18:40,520 --> 00:18:51,720 the, sorry, he told the lady, you will never know how hard a climb I had. I got hungry 178 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:57,760 and so tired. And after all of his complaining and griping, he told the lady, the night told 179 00:18:57,760 --> 00:19:03,480 me to tell you he would be here Thursday morning at five a.m. and you better be up and waiting 180 00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:09,480 for my boss. Do you think you can remember that or do I need to tell you again? Repeat 181 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:16,320 after me, Thursday at five a.m. He was so hateful to the princess, he crawled down the 182 00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:25,720 tower wall complaining every inch of his journey. So we are often times way too much like the 183 00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:29,920 Caterpillar. We assume the worst intentions of others. We accentuate the negatives of 184 00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:35,400 a given task and ignore the positives. We are so skilled at this form of pessimism that 185 00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:41,640 we will do or that we will work to turn the positives into negatives. The root of bitterness 186 00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:47,240 starts when we turn away from the Lord. In Deuteronomy 29 18, beware lest there be among 187 00:19:47,240 --> 00:19:53,000 you a man or a woman or a clan or a tribe whose heart is turning away today from the 188 00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:59,040 Lord our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be any among you 189 00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:05,600 a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit. The danger is that we do not immediately see 190 00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:12,720 this fruit of bitterness. The fruit only comes after we choose to disregard God's covenant. 191 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:18,120 And as we allow our hearts to be led away by all the other gods that we lift up, all 192 00:20:18,120 --> 00:20:22,540 of those other isms that I referenced earlier in the beginning of this message, we allow 193 00:20:22,540 --> 00:20:29,900 them to take God's place in our heart. And that is where bitterness, anxiety, depression, 194 00:20:29,900 --> 00:20:36,400 and the poisonous fruit spring up. There is a better way than cultivating bitterness and 195 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:42,440 we can choose a different path. In Deuteronomy 33 it says, then the Lord your God will restore 196 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:47,480 your fortunes and have mercy on you. And he will gather you again from all the peoples 197 00:20:47,480 --> 00:20:53,000 where the Lord your God has scattered you. So to make sure the princess would be ready, 198 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:58,400 the knight thought I will ask another friend to help me. So the knight talked to Mr. Butterfly. 199 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:05,920 Hey friend, would you tell the princess I am coming to rescue her Thursday at 5 a.m. 200 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:10,480 Make sure that she is ready for the rescue mission. Mr. Butterfly said, sure, I'll be 201 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:15,520 glad to inform her and make sure she is ready. So Mr. Butterfly caught the wind and started 202 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:21,240 flying up towards her window. It rained a little but Mr. Butterfly kept flying upward. 203 00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:25,680 Later in the day a bird swooped over Mr. Butterfly to eat him but he just kept flying higher 204 00:21:25,680 --> 00:21:32,240 and higher. Mr. Butterfly landed on the windowsill and saw how beautiful the princess was. He 205 00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:36,840 just admired her beauty. He whispered, honey come over here. I have a message from the 206 00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:43,040 handsome knight to you beautiful princess. Mr. Butterfly flew over to her shoulder and 207 00:21:43,040 --> 00:21:49,120 kissed her cheek. Mr. Butterfly said, I have good news for you. My white knight will be 208 00:21:49,120 --> 00:21:57,940 here at 5 a.m. in the morning to set you free and you will live happily ever after. Mr. 209 00:21:57,940 --> 00:22:05,360 Knight will be here at 5 a.m. sharp. Please be ready. The knight really loves you so much. 210 00:22:05,360 --> 00:22:10,800 The princess was so happy she said thank you so much Mr. Butterfly. You are so sweet I 211 00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:16,080 will be ready for my love when he comes for me. But the princess said let me ask you why 212 00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:22,120 was Mr. Caterpillar so mean and rude? He was so disagreeable. Mr. Caterpillar brought me 213 00:22:22,120 --> 00:22:28,600 the same news as you did but I felt so bad when he left. Mr. Butterfly said oh you mean 214 00:22:28,600 --> 00:22:34,840 Mr. Caterpillar. Don't mind his disagreeable attitude that is just the way he is. For you 215 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:42,280 see I used to gripe and complain just as he does but I had a transformation. I have changed. 216 00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:47,640 I love the knight and I love to bring his message to you. Soon we will be or we will 217 00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:55,120 all be together forever. What do you see when you look into the mirror? The picture of the 218 00:22:55,120 --> 00:23:00,200 caterpillar and the butterfly highlights the chosen perception of the participants and 219 00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:05,040 the scriptural truth is proven in our society as a whole. It is documented that those who 220 00:23:05,040 --> 00:23:10,920 do not fester with old grudges or harbor envy tend to lead happier lives. Countries like 221 00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:15,920 Finland that tend not to judge their happiness on the amount of stuff they have but rather 222 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:21,840 on having the bare minimum to live tend to have higher self-reported levels of happiness. 223 00:23:21,840 --> 00:23:27,120 Finland is a pretty socialist country but they all have similar values and understanding 224 00:23:27,120 --> 00:23:31,740 of the need to contribute to their own country and they don't get all worked up with what 225 00:23:31,740 --> 00:23:39,760 they lack. This is something that we can all learn from. Legong is a Swedish word that 226 00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:47,600 means not too much and not too little but just the right amount. It is about moderation, 227 00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:54,160 efficiency and fairness and these are things that we can glean and apply to our own lives. 228 00:23:54,160 --> 00:24:01,080 The Bible talks about being content and we can live a content life full of joy and happiness. 229 00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:07,280 In Psalm 37 he will not forsake his saints of David. Fret not yourself because the evil 230 00:24:07,280 --> 00:24:12,800 doers be not envious of wrongdoers for they will soon fade like the grass and wither like 231 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:18,360 the green herbs. So the Finnish are a great example but we have something even better. 232 00:24:18,360 --> 00:24:26,440 In Christ we have all the joy. And this brings me to my final point which is the best. Romans 233 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:32,480 15 13. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that by the 234 00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:37,800 power of the Holy Spirit you may have bound in hope. Through salvation and the gift of 235 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:41,880 the Holy Spirit we can tap into the joy of the Lord. It does not matter what is happening 236 00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:46,800 in our lives. It does not matter if we have nothing. It does not matter if life is unfair. 237 00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:53,840 It does not even matter if life is downright miserable. In Christ we can tap into a power 238 00:24:53,840 --> 00:25:00,480 that can and will equip us to overcome all things in his name. In Philippians 4 10-14 239 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:05,560 it says I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern 240 00:25:05,560 --> 00:25:11,320 for me. You were indeed concerned for me but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking 241 00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:16,760 of being in need for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to 242 00:25:16,760 --> 00:25:22,200 be brought low and I know how to abound in any and every circumstance. I have learned 243 00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:27,480 the secret of facing plenty hunger and abundance in need. I can do all things through him who 244 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:37,600 strengthens me. We do not have to live like this work. We have something better than this. 245 00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:43,920 So bitterness and disillusion. I pulled this from Dr. Armand M. Nicolai. He's a professor 246 00:25:43,920 --> 00:25:48,640 of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and he explains that when Sigmund Freud died at 247 00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:56,560 the age of 83 he died a bitter and disillusioned man. Tragically this Venetian physician one 248 00:25:56,560 --> 00:26:01,640 of the most influential thinkers of our time had little compassion for the common person. 249 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:06,680 Freud wrote in 1918 I have found little that is good about human beings on the whole. In 250 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:12,360 my experience most of them are trash. No matter whether they publicly subscribe to this or 251 00:26:12,360 --> 00:26:18,200 that ethical doctrine or to none at all Freud died friendless. It is well known that he 252 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:27,400 had broken with each of his followers. The end was bitter. What a crazy thought. A successful 253 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:35,360 and renowned doctor of psychiatry at the time but his doctrine was ungodly and wrong and 254 00:26:35,360 --> 00:26:44,360 it led to such tragic bitterness. In Hebrews 12 14-15 it says strive for the peace or strive 255 00:26:44,360 --> 00:26:50,160 for peace with everyone and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See 256 00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:54,400 to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs 257 00:26:54,400 --> 00:27:00,400 up and causes trouble and by it many become defiled. So as we close this message as we 258 00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:07,760 come to the end we don't have to be controlled by the spirits of this world. We do not have 259 00:27:07,760 --> 00:27:13,640 to allow bitterness to rise up in our hearts. We can live a better life focused on others. 260 00:27:13,640 --> 00:27:18,320 We can put God first in our lives. We can be content knowing that our Father in heaven 261 00:27:18,320 --> 00:27:24,980 will provide for us. Even more we can live our best life when we submit to Jesus Christ 262 00:27:24,980 --> 00:27:31,880 in repentance. We can follow him as recipients of his grace and his mercy. Through that decision 263 00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:37,960 we will be able to tap into the joy of the Lord no matter what is happening to us and 264 00:27:37,960 --> 00:27:42,960 what is happening around us. The world is fighting against God. They are striving to 265 00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:49,880 outlaw God's word and make it hate speech but we can be above all of this because of 266 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:55,440 the knowledge that we know that the fact that we know that God is already victorious and 267 00:27:55,440 --> 00:28:01,520 in him we can partake in his victory. Not only the victory over bitterness but also 268 00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:07,000 the victory over death and sin. If I could have every head bowed every eye closed as 269 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:14,440 I draw this message to a conclusion. I hope that this message has sparked some thoughts 270 00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:20,160 in your life. Maybe there is a family member that you are not in right relationship. A 271 00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:26,240 friend that you have broken off with and you recognize that you had a large part in it 272 00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:32,480 and why that things went the wrong way. I just pray that this message would show you 273 00:28:32,480 --> 00:28:37,320 that there is a better way and whether you can mend those fences or not the reality is 274 00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:44,000 you can let the bitterness go on your side. You can repent of that anger, of that hostility, 275 00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:49,600 that wrath, that malice, that bitterness and you can give it to the Lord. I pray that those 276 00:28:49,600 --> 00:28:54,200 relationships can be mended but the reality is there is something much more important 277 00:28:54,200 --> 00:29:00,800 in mind here is keeping your heart right with the living God. What bitterness does is it 278 00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:08,040 chokes off what Jesus can do within your own life and within your own heart. You produce 279 00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:13,640 the wrong kinds of fruit. You don't produce the fruits of the spirit. You produce these 280 00:29:13,640 --> 00:29:20,280 bitter fruits. How do you do that? How do you give your life to Jesus Christ and allow 281 00:29:20,280 --> 00:29:25,440 him to change your heart? Maybe that is you. Maybe that is the question you have right 282 00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:29,600 now and you want to give your life to God. You want to have a right heart. You want to 283 00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:33,960 let go of bitterness and you can do that right now. If that is you and you want to give your 284 00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:40,560 life to Jesus, you want to sacrifice your life to Jesus Christ, you can do that. You 285 00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:46,120 just signify that with an uplifted hand wherever you are and I will just pray with you. I can't 286 00:29:46,120 --> 00:29:52,120 see your hand but it is a physical manifestation of a spiritual problem. You raise your hand 287 00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:57,080 because God can see it wherever you are. So if you did that, if you rose your hand and 288 00:29:57,080 --> 00:30:02,480 you meant it, I want you to repeat this prayer after me. Just repeat, Dear Lord God, I know 289 00:30:02,480 --> 00:30:08,240 that I am a sinner but I know that you sent your son Jesus Christ and that he died for 290 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:15,440 my sin. I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior and I repent of my sin. In Jesus name I pray. 291 00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:22,160 Amen. So with that quick prayer, if you said that and you meant that, please reach out 292 00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:27,200 and let me know you did. I love hearing those kind of stories but the reality is that your 293 00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:33,320 name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. So then you can go forward from this place 294 00:30:33,320 --> 00:30:37,480 and hopefully you can lock into a Bible believing church if you are in salmon arm please coming 295 00:30:37,480 --> 00:30:43,120 out to church. We would love to have you. If you are not, reach out. We have 3700 churches 296 00:30:43,120 --> 00:30:48,680 globally and I am sure I could find a good Bible believing church for you to attend. 297 00:30:48,680 --> 00:30:53,080 And then you partner with that church because then the next process is sanctification. It 298 00:30:53,080 --> 00:30:59,520 is that diving in and allowing God to work on your heart so that you will read the word 299 00:30:59,520 --> 00:31:05,700 of God, you will pray and you will fellowship with other believers. It is such a glorious 300 00:31:05,700 --> 00:31:13,440 thing to be part of such a large, beautiful, vibrant fellowship. I thank God for the opportunity 301 00:31:13,440 --> 00:31:18,600 to be able to preach his gospel. I thank you for listening today. I pray this message has 302 00:31:18,600 --> 00:31:23,880 impacted you whether you are a new believer or whether you are an old believer, an old 303 00:31:23,880 --> 00:31:29,760 crusty saint. I pray that you won't allow bitterness to choke out all of the blessing 304 00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:33,640 that God wants to pour into your life. So I thank you for listening. I can't wait for 305 00:31:33,640 --> 00:31:35,960 you to come back next time. God bless.