As the testimony was just given of that desire to have victory, at times that desire to be free, and yet that just constant defeat. In fact, I am sure young people, there have been some of you here last night and today, and as you’ve heard the preaching, you’ve even in your spirit said, I want to be moved, and yet you really weren’t moved. Your heart has been hardened by the deceitfulness of sin as was so clearly preached last night.

You’re troubled tonight. You’ve sensed the presence of the Lord. You would defend His reality.

You know these things are true. And yet, tonight, you feel trapped and helpless. Let me say, young people, that I believe that this is one of the greatest problems that many, maybe most teenagers face.

And that is they come to what Matt just mentioned. Oh, well, I might as well just chuck it, forget it. I somehow got missed by God.

I’m just not up to that. Down deep, I know it’s right. but, you know, if I can’t make it in the spiritual realm, I just might as well make it the best I can in the world’s realm.

And I would dare say many young people, for a various number of reasons, have themselves in that kind of mindset. Well, young people and adults alike, living the Christian life is impossible. Ever faced impossibilities?

They’re awful. I was a leader for several summers of a college ensemble. And one of the primary things you are to do with a college ensemble is get your ensemble to the place you are to go well ahead of time.

Make sure you have a good time with the pastor and get everything set up so that you can have a full ministry that evening. I mean, that’s just bedrock. Well, we left early in the morning.

We were in northern Arizona or maybe even in New Mexico. I can’t remember. But we were somewhere there, and we had to go down to Phoenix.

So we left very early in the morning. And somebody told me that, well, if you’d like to see some great scenery, don’t go the clear, easy expressway route. Take a route through the mountains to the east of Phoenix.

Now, I should have known when the route’s number was 666. That wasn’t a very wise route to take. But the guys wanted to go, and I can’t remember exactly why we made that dumb decision, but we did.

It was back in the days of, even though they have them today, but everything was a station wagon. No van really was around much, and so we had this station wagon with a car carrier top. I tell you, ensemble, you guys got it made compared to what we had to go through.

So we had this car, and right on the front end of Route 6666, going into the mountains, bang, we had a blowout. Well, there’s nothing around. Do I go all the way back wisely and get a spare, hook up back with the expressway an hour or so back and get into town, or chance it on the four tires we have all over the mountains in the Phoenix?

Well, I was much younger then, and I made very definitely the wrong decision. So up into the mountains we went. If you’ve ever been on that route, there is a space right in the middle of that, up in the plateau area of those mountains, where there is literally nothing for miles.

Well, you’re ahead of me. Bang. The second flat.

Well, by this time, it was about 1 o’clock in the afternoon. Guess what? Started calculating things out at the best scenario of getting a tire.

No, it wasn’t even one. I think it was 2 o’clock. And we still had several hours to go.

We weren’t going to make it. It was impossible. Well, if you knew anything about the college I went to and about those kind of things, the last thing you wanted to do was to report in there and tell them that you weren’t going to make a scheduled ensemble service.

That was an awful, gripping moment. We did not make it. I do want you to know that the Lord worked it out, and the president of the Mormon church picked me up, and I went and got a spare tire.

Now, don’t try to put that together, but that’s exactly what happened. And we got there for the youth activity afterwards, but it didn’t help me with the college whatsoever. Awful, awful feeling.

Much worse than that, though, just several years later after I was married, I had a 2-1⁄2-year-old little boy, and many of you have heard that story. He had a brain tumor, a massive one. It was not completely resectioned.

And I began to find out about brain tumors, that there was hardly any hope, 20%, 10%, 5%. It was very, no matter even if it was benign or malignant at that age. But I’ll never forget when the doctor sat us down and I asked him, I said, well, what percentage chance is there?

I was just looking even for the smallest percentage chance. and he said, I’ve got to tell you, we’ve done research for the last two weeks. No one in the Western Hemisphere has ever survived from this tumor.

And by the way, to date, no one ever has except for my son who’s here tonight. But at that moment, I was facing an impossibility. Now I’m telling you, those are gripping times.

They’re just awful times and all of us could share stories. Well, please get this. Everyone here this evening, get this.

When it comes to living the spiritual life, you are in as much trouble as I was in those two situations. You can’t do it. And some of you are coming all too aware of that.

You can’t even conjure up the interest without the grace of God. The Lord said in John 15, For without me ye can do nothing.

and so what happens when we do not understand what it means to walk in the power of the spirit of god we’re living in the flesh and we become entrapped by the consequences of the flesh as was quoted earlier today be not deceived god is not mocked for whatsoever man soweth that shall he also reap if you reap to the flesh you will of the flesh reap corruption you see if we are not yielded completely to the Spirit, we are controlled by the flesh.

That’s why you’ve got the corruption you’ve got, the thought life, the consequences, the problems. Just everything continues to pile up and it seems to become more and more difficult and more and more impossible. Well, I want to tonight submit to you one of the main reasons that young people get entrapped in the flesh.

One of the main reasons that they do not have the power of the Spirit of God in their life. And I want every young person here tonight, every adult here tonight, let’s be honest with ourselves tonight. Ephesians chapter 4, please.

If you’ll turn there with me. Ephesians chapter 4. Here in this great chapter that was quoted already by the ensemble earlier this evening where it talks about the great calling that every one of us have.

The glorious place that God has for us in the ministry. But then in the latter part of this chapter, we are clearly warned as to what will take away, what will deter the blessing of God in our lives and the enablement to be able to function as God wants us to function. And I want you to look with me at verse 30.

Chapter 4 of Ephesians, verse 30. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness.

Young people, we’ve got to understand that we can grieve the Spirit of God. Let me teach you for a couple of minutes something that’s just precious to me. When you were saved, if you’re saved here this evening, a glorious miracle occurred in your life.

Ephesians chapter 2 says that prior to salvation you were dead in trespasses and sins. Your spirit was dead as far as spiritual life is concerned. You were cut off from God.

But when you called upon the Lord to save you, and by faith you put your trust in the finished work of Christ, the Bible says that the Spirit of God came into your spirit and gave you everlasting life. You became alive. You were regenerated, given life.

You were born from above. All of those terms. You became a child of God.

You became in Christ. In other words, you came into a union with God. You went from death to life the moment you trusted Christ.

If you look back up with me at verse 24 here in the context of this passage, we read, And that ye put on the new man, now note the rest of this, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Now, this absolutely thrills me when I think about it.

did you know if you’re saved here today you are regenerated you’re born again and that your spirit is as righteous and holy as god because you have his righteousness and his holiness because of the blood of christ think about that now i am sure many of you young people are sitting here tonight sort of beat up i mean i got beat up anybody’s honest got beat up did you get beat up today a little bit of course mine was simple i didn’t really get at you

after you but those other two evangelists man i tell you what they let you have it this morning but you’re you’re uh feeling very much the awareness of your sin right got good news for you that’s all very real that needs to be dealt with but did you know if you’re truly saved in your spirit you’re righteous and holy how do i know that who indwells your spirit.

The spirit of the living God who is perfectly holy and will come in union with no sin whatsoever. So you are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Now young people, start getting a hold of truth tonight.

We’re turning the corner to tomorrow. Understand that in you is God. And that you are a child of God.

And that your spirit is holy and righteous. and in that verse, verse 24, it says live out, put on the new man, start living the real you. You know, so often doesn’t Satan like to come along and say you’re absolutely an idiot, you’re wicked, you’re ruined, there’s no hope for you.

Well, your flesh is truly that and in ourselves is no good thing. But I tell you what, you can tell them no. Listen, the real me is righteous and holy and I’m indwelled by the Spirit of the living God.

I’m a child of God. That means I can look into any of your eyes tonight and tell you you’ve got hope as big as the creator of the universe. It’s already won, as was said so well last night.

I remember about three or four years ago, a man that I worked with for a number of years who has just been racked by drugs, decimated by drugs, emotional problems, just a tragic situation.

he came in just totally beat up they just sort of pushed him into my office he sat down and we were talking along I could tell there was an openness there because he and I have known each other for a long time and I said Glenn I want to tell you something and I quoted this verse I know you’ve been really struggling but I want to remind you you’re a Christian aren’t you he said oh yes I am I said you know the real Glenn is

righteous and holy because of Christ I’ll never forget the look in his face that truth began to grip him I want to tell you tonight he’s serving the Lord and delivered to this point from drugs and that kind of thing because the real Glenn transformed by the grace of the living God won out in his life changed his mind, changed his life, changed his purpose What a victory.

There’s no one here that’s too hopeless. All right, I gave that background because that is the background of this chapter here. We are to put on the new man.

And then it goes on into relationship issues about dishonesty in relationships. Anger that’s not dealt with. And Satan comes in and takes over and wrecks relationships through that.

Corrupt communication proceeding out of your mouth. Oh, the yelling and screaming and abusive language that goes on in homes and in marriages and between siblings and all the junk that many, many people have to put up with and all the hurt. Then we read, and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed on the day of redemption.

You see, young people tonight, adults tonight, We are going to look at the sin that grieves the Spirit of God. Now, all sin grieves it. But it’s interesting, the direct link here in this passage.

A couple thoughts I want to give you, young people. And that is, first of all, the Holy Spirit is a person. He has emotions.

You are made in His image. He actually personally is affected. Jesus Christ stood on the Mount of Olives and wept over Jerusalem.

Those are real tears. He cried out in great shuddering sobs at the tomb of Lazarus as he saw those that he loved weeping. My friends, God’s a person.

Don’t you ever forget it. That’s a glorious thought. A perfect person that loves you perfectly.

but he’s a person and the holy spirit is either in control of your life or he’s not as we’ll see tomorrow if he’s not in control of your life the christian life’s impossible but if you’re a christian you are in your spirit righteous and holy oh you’ve got your flesh you’ve got that sinful tendency that’s constantly pulling you down you’ve got satan taking advantage of it you’ve got all the guilt and all the scars and all the problems of the corruption of the flesh, but your

spirit indwelt by the Spirit of God, if you allow him to have control, that which is impossible in your humanity becomes fully possible with his power.

So I am convinced that many, many Christians have a hidden inner spirit sin that grieves spirit of God. And though they may attempt to live the Christian life, though they may try to do this and try to do that, because they are not dealing with this very subtle sin of bitterness, are powerless, just like Matthew was talking about. So let’s talk tonight about this which grieves the spirit of God, bitterness.

Well, the word bitter is the actual word used for bitter taste. As you well, no, you have a myriad of taste buds on your tongue. Your tongue is an amazing thing, you know.

And you have an ability to have different types of sensations on your tongue. Well, located in, not in the front part, but in the back and around section, are the taste buds that respond to bitter taste. Now, have you ever noticed that those that respond to sweet tastes, they’re very powerful, but they don’t last long.

You know, sweet taste comes and goes, and you’re ready for something else sweet, you know. But if you’ve ever tasted anything bitter, I don’t know what it is, but those are different than my sweet taste buds, okay? It just lingers and lingers and lingers and lingers.

Oh, a few months ago, my wife, of course, is very good at giving me vitamins. And so I’ll sometimes be running out the door, and I’ll throw them in my pocket to make sure that I take them later on. And, you know, those things are monsters.

You know, you’ve got to almost have some kind of trolley or something to get it up, you know, and put it in. But, you know, so I’ve got this bulging pocket full of vitamins to take. And so I thought I’d taken them.

And I went to, I don’t remember, I think I was at the airport. That’s what it was. And at the Milwaukee airport, they have those little gum machines, you know, for 25 cents.

And I fell to temptation. I have to confess that. And got a bunch of those little chickle-chicklet types of gum and put them in my pocket.

All right, you’re ahead of me again tonight. I went in, got what I thought was gum, and confidently started chewing on it. Vitamins are bad to swallow, but folks, they are not made to chew.

I don’t know which one it was, but I’m telling you. Look, I’m turning green, purple. That thing was awful.

I had to discreetly as I could get to the bathroom, get rid of that. I mean, it was terrible. I’m not exaggerating.

I’m sure it was good for me, but it was awful. And I tell you what, all the way through that airplane flight, I don’t remember how long it was. I think it was a couple days later.

I was still thinking about that dumb vitamin, you know. I look at vitamins today and have just my character that makes me take them. But bitterness just lingers on and on.

Some of you may have heard this story. When I was your age, I was a sophomore in high school. I went to Bible Lands for the first time with my dad and my mom.

And this was mainly a group of preachers. Dr. Ed Nelson was along.

In fact, this is the trip where God got a hold of my heart and I got called to preach. It’s a great story there. But along on this trip was a single preacher.

That’s a dangerous thing to start off with. He was about 6’8″, and he was quite a character. And he was a real jokester.

I should have known better to trust. You know, you’re supposed to trust preachers, though, aren’t you? But anyway, we were at the Dead Sea.

And the guide was telling us about the high mineral content and so forth. And they advised this just so we get an idea of it, to just dip our finger in the water, barely touch our tongue, and we get an idea of it. Well, this guy says, listen, if you want an experience, he said, I’m serious.

I’ve done this. He said, cup your hand in the water and put a whole mouthful in it and swish it around. Anyway, I did it.

And I’m telling you, folks, it makes that vitamin look like candy. I mean, I was horrified. I ran up to the little stand they had up there at the top of the hill to get some Coke and candy and gum.

And I’m telling you, that taste lingered on and on for days. About wrecked my Bible Landstrip. especially when I found out that the kibbutz dumped their raw sewage right at that point.

But anyway, I won’t go into that. It was, of course, purified by the minerals, you see, but it was just the thought of it. Now, why did I go into those illustrations?

Folks, bitterness is like that taste. It’s behind the scenes, but it’s there, and it’s there, and it’s there, and it’s there. That’s why that term is used.

It’s a bitter, it’s something that you don’t like. It’s affecting the quality of your life. Putting it in the spiritual realm as used in the New Testament.

Bitterness, and you might want to write this down, young people. Bitterness, but don’t open your notebooks. Bitterness is blaming someone else for your present negative circumstances.

It’s an unwillingness to take responsibility for your own problems and to settle the issue with the offender. Now, let me explain what I mean by that. Bitterness is simply the ongoing blame about your present negative circumstances, blaming your parents, blaming someone that you’ve known, blaming something that happened to you.

In other words, you aren’t happy. You aren’t able to do what you want to do. Things aren’t the way that you think they ought to be because of.

now here is what is so subtle about this young people bitterness doesn’t necessarily equate is not equal with an emotion how do i know that look back at the text with me if you would let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. Ah, this is not synonymous with anger and with wrath. See, if I was to ask you, alright, are you bitter tonight?

No, I’m not bitter. What do you mean by that? I’m not angry.

I’m not really seething with awful resentment. But I think far more of you that answer that way would be guilty of bitterness than you would realize. What does Hebrews chapter 12 call bitterness?

A root. The root of bitterness that leads to the defilement of people’s lives. And so, bitterness is a conviction.

It is a thought process by which you blame someone else for the problems you have, the unhappiness, the lack of being able to do what you want to do, just whatever it is that’s bothering you, it’s because of somebody else. Now, you may have controlled your anger. You may not be seething with resentment.

You may not be having a big emotional problem at the moment. Deep in your heart, there’s almost a deadening kind of thought pattern. It’s their fault.

It’s their fault. For instance, your parents put their foot down and they won’t let you do something you want to do. And it really bothers you.

And you blame them because of whatever they are holding you back from doing. That’s bitterness. Or because your parents have gotten upset with you and you don’t think it’s really been handled properly, you’re holding it.

And though you may not be upset anymore, there’s just this simple thought in your mind, my parents aren’t the kind of parents of other people, and I’m therefore missing out on life. Or it may simply be, you know, my dad doesn’t make very much money, and I don’t get what all the other kids get. Or it could be something far worse.

It could have been something bad that happened to you as a child. And though that may be in the past, you are still totally, at times, with a thought pattern, I’m not able to have what everybody else has in life because that happened to me. Now I want you to go back to verse 31.

It says, let all bitterness and wrath. Now I want to show you a quick progression here. This is very important.

How do you know if you have bitterness? The first stage of bitterness’s response is in the term wrath there. That means the loss of temper.

Not that you’re not seething with resentment, you’re not overwhelmed with emotion, but every so often, bang, you lose your temper. Didn’t used to do that. I tell you what, there can be other reasons for a loss of temper.

But oftentimes, it’s bitterness that’s not dealt with that opens the door for frustration to build and then it lets off steam. And young person, if you find yourself every so often losing it, it’s a danger signal for sure. Then the next one is anger.

Anger is what we normally think of when we think of bitterness. It is that emotion, negative.

you’re thinking about a person what they did to you my parents did that or those kids in the youth group did that to me or I can’t believe that boss did that to me or whatever it is and you’re thinking about it and it’s really bothering you that’s anger I’m telling you young people if you’re there tonight you better get this settled tonight because you’re on the road to some real problems the next development after that if you’ll note there in verse 31 is clamor.

That’s when you start striking out verbally. Now it’s not just inner seething. That’s when you start talking to your dad.

That’s when you start lipping to your mom and saying things that you shouldn’t say and you’re disrespectful. You may pull back for a while, but it comes out. You find yourself even showing it with your youth pastor.

You just cannot control your demeanor. You’re well down the road here. Bitterness has been in your heart for some time.

Next one is evil speaking. The word slander. What’s another word for that?

Gossip. I think every adult needs to sit up and take note of this one. You know what?

If you can honestly get on the phone and tear down somebody else, you can mark it down, you have had bitterness for some period of time. It’s spilling over now into that. If you can’t control yourself, you’re in trouble.

You know one of the best things, by the way, young people and adults alike, if somebody starts tearing down somebody else, you need to stop it right then because that bitterness is going to defile you. And you need to say, you know, I have no right to hear that. and I would encourage you to deal with the bitterness in your heart I will not have part of this discussion.

I tell you what, if young people and adults would have Christian character it would be an awful lot less damage done in the work of Christ. Remember, you will be defiled. You will be defiled.

You will always be defiled when somebody is talking negatively about somebody else and you’re not in official position to actually be right in listening to it. And then malice. This is the word for abuse.

This is when awful things are said. This is when people are hit. This is when things begin to happen.

This is when furniture starts flying in the home. This is when just terrible things that really put everybody on edge occur. Listen, young people, it’s not funny when you have a temper tantrum at 16 years of age.

if you throw something do something like that if you ever even push your mom and dad you need to get on your face tonight and get that right and get that root of bitterness out of your soul and i’ve been in the ministry long enough to know that there’s far more of that represented in this crowd than we didn’t want to think about some of you young people have had bitterness in your heart for years and it hasn’t come out.

It’s been dealt with by the grace of God. Now do you see why it grieves the Holy Spirit? Do you notice that bitterness not only keeps you from blessing and power, it hurts many, many other people.

Now, let me say this. Most of the time, bitterness doesn’t go to that extreme.

we sort of keep it checked most of you here tonight fall into the category of keeping you know getting right on the emotion over and over you know if you’re losing temper a lot or just feeling a lot of anger and you’re constantly getting right about that but it seems to come up over and over what’s the problem not dealing with bitterness we don’t catch that it is that blame that unwillingness to take responsibility for our own life that is causing the problem.

Now, let me just go into one scenario here, young people, to try to help you understand what I’m talking about. There is great joy in the teen years, even if your parents are not saved, or maybe one of them is saved and one of them is not, or maybe you only have one parent. Maybe there are difficulties.

Regardless, the Bible says that, My son, give me thine heart. We need to trust God through the authorities that God has placed into our lives. But we run into problems very quickly because we allow bitterness to come into our lives.

All right, you are a, let’s say you’re a junior hire. And you do something dumb. Now, I know it’s hard to believe that junior hires do anything dumb, but I mean, that’s a rare possibility that comes up.

And so you do something dumb. Now, it was wrong. I did something dumb.

I know it’s hard to believe. As a junior hire, I lived in the city of Chicago. And in the city of Chicago, houses are right on top of each other.

Backyards are about the size of a stamp, you know, and the garage is right behind it. But if you like baseball, as I do, you know, and you are trying to practice to be a major leaguer, you know, you’ve got to practice your batting. Well, anyway, to make a long story short, my father, of course, had told me to be careful.

We had a large, huge, triple window opening on the second floor that was an addition up there, and I promptly hit the ball right through all those windows. Thankfully, my dad did not kill me. But, yes, I know what junior hires can do.

Now, let’s suppose you have an incident like that. Would I be worthy of being dealt with? All right.

However, even though I’d be worthy of being dealt with, out comes my dad and says, I told you you were an idiot. You know, where did you come from? I don’t even know if you’re my kid.

I can’t believe you’d do something so dumb. Well, you get through all of that, and of course you were wrong, but what are you thinking about what your dad said, right? Now, he’s pretty right, but it really hurts.

And so you let that begin to build up in your heart. My dad doesn’t really care about me. You know, these other kids, they have a good relationship with their parents, but my dad loses his temper.

That begins to take hold in your heart called bitterness. By the way, parents, where should the action first begin? it should begin with mom and dad.

Dad, if you ever did anything, if you ever do anything with your teenager that is in the flesh, you better get it right right away. That gives all grounds for bitterness. That puts it all away.

As a junior higher, my dad did get upset with me a few times. I’ll never forget, as a seventh grade boy, I came to the dinner table with dirt all over me. And my dad couldn’t stand that.

My hands were washed, and the ring was around my wrist to prove it. And my face was washed. There was an old war there to prove that I had done that also.

And that did not please my father, and he let me have it. I don’t remember what he said, but all I know is I was crushed. I had a godly dad.

But he got frustrated with kids. He was an old Dutchman, you know, and his dad was somewhat the same way. Precious people, but just a little less toleration maybe for people of my kind.

But anyway, I’m trying to put the best spin on it here. But anyway, my dad left the room, and I thought, I am really in trouble now. Dad came back in there in Durango, Colorado, this before I went to Chicago, and I’ll never forget, he motioned me to the other room, tears in his eyes, and Dad was rarely emotional.

He said, I’m wicked. I am wrong. He said, God has dealt with me, son.

That was horrible. Will you forgive me? Of course, immediately I hugged him.

I knew I was wrong. I forgave him. I’ll never forget.

He said, son, by God’s grace, I’ll never do that to you again. And by God’s grace, he never did. And he never did it to joy.

He never did it to Jim. He never did it to John. He never did it to joy, I don’t think.

You guys don’t even believe me. You get mad at me when I talk about it. Because they think of dad not doing that kind of thing.

By the way, parents, there is grace to change.

it’s glorious but enough on the parents let’s put that aside kids what happens is you start you stop talking to your parents they get frustrated with you you become ungrateful they start comparing you with other teens wishing you were like other ones you begin to get stubborn about doing things they start nagging at you you begin to start having outward acts of rebellion self authority and they start restricting your privileges you begin to seek out wrong friends who all have the same problems they begin to

protect you against those friends the sins of the flesh begin to come in because it’s very easy when you are you got resentment and bitterness in your heart and you now are around wrong friends and you’re cut off from your parents and then they begin to condemn and you’ve got a real battle.

Let me stop right here. Young people, many of you are right there. You were preached to today about all kinds of sins and in your spirit you said, that’s right, I need help.

But down in your soul you just can’t quite get there. Why? There’s bitterness at the very root of it all.

you deal with bitterness interesting with Matt’s testimony he didn’t necessarily consider that bitterness but it was the issue with his parents notice how that works the bottom line issue by the way teens you can pressure your parents long enough parents today do cave in and they’ll start condoning you they’ll let you go where you want to go they’ll even not be around strong strict youth groups to try to have peace you didn’t win you lost for that entire family it’s a tragedy it’s happening all the

time and then finally you’ll be overwhelmed with guilt and all the problems that we’ve talked about just to give you one scenario I could go into a marriage scenario I could go into other scenarios all right let’s move on now to dealing with it we’ll be done how do you overcome the problem so simply young people by the way getting right with god as dr jim said last night you’re five minutes away from it you’re five minutes away from freedom you’re five minutes away from liberty

you’re five minutes away from the trap you’re five minutes away from the impossibility you’re five minutes away from the Right, figure out.

The first solution is so simple. Take responsibility for your own life and stop blaming. It’s as simple as simple can be.

My friend, if you’re unhappy today, it isn’t because of what your dad said to you five years ago. If you aren’t able to do what you want to do today, it isn’t because of the restrictions of your parents. If you have something that is just bothering you in your life, it isn’t because of what some teacher said or what some youth director did to you.

By the way, parents, and by the way, teens, it isn’t what anyone does. It’s your own response to God that will determine your future. We are living in a blamed society.

Psychology is built upon that. Politics is built upon that. Every facet of our social perspective is built on blame.

It’s about time that God’s people take responsibility for their own lives. You are what you are today because of what you’ve decided to do. And isn’t that a glorious thought on the positive side?

That means that no matter what family situation you’re in and what background you’ve had, if you’ll look to God, you’ve got a glorious future in Christ. It’s all your decision, the decision of faith. You see, you’ve got to ask God for forgiveness for that bitterness.

Because all bitterness ultimately is blaming God. you let my parents do that. You let my situation be this.

I don’t have it fair compared to my other friends. I don’t have what other people have. It ultimately comes to the feet of God.

Ask God for forgiveness and realize that no circumstance and no person can take away what God has purchased for you at the cross if you will simply take it by faith.

if you don’t have joy today it isn’t because of your parents not because of your youth director it’s not because of that Christian school teacher not because of that boss it’s not because of somebody who may have hurt you in the past and all those things are real by the way and I don’t want to minimize that but the joy of the Lord is of the Lord we don’t live based on circumstances we live based upon our relationship with God the fruit of the spirit is

yours today if you’ll just trust in Him.

The peace of God. The power of God. Meaning, purpose, calling.

It’s all yours now. But you’ve got to confess as awful sin, the selfish sin of blame bitterness. Ask God to forgive you for blaming.

And release your parents. Release these people. God can deal with them.

and ask God for love. Ask God for forgiveness. Ask God for the right attitude.

The issue is to fully take responsibility for your life right now. Young person, no one’s taken that joy away from you but you. It’s your inheritance in Christ.

No one’s taken that excitement away. You say, well, I just can’t, you know, my parents don’t let me really live. They don’t let me do all the things I want to do.

My friend, they wouldn’t make you happy except temporarily. The reason you don’t have joy, the reason you don’t have what you want is because you’re not taking responsibility and trusting the Lord. So you need to ask forgiveness for that bitterness and realize it’s against God.

Secondly, you’ve got to take responsibility for your own life. And thirdly, you need to submit to the responsibilities that God has given to you. Quit focusing on yourself and start living for God and others.

Did it ever occur to you that God will give you the grace to love and serve your parents rather than blaming them? Did it ever occur to you that you can have great joy at being a blessing to your youth director instead of constantly feeling pressured by him? Did it ever occur to you that God has a wonderful responsibility in the realm of his will for your life right now?

Learn to be a servant. Learn to give. Learn to submit yourself to the God-given authorities in your life, and you’ll have freedom like you won’t believe.

It’s all just a decision. To quit looking at yourself and giving yourself to God. This is an exciting truth to me.

Because many of you right now, you just came in even tonight, just, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I must be a second-class Christian. I don’t have it.

I don’t have any hope. Friend, you’ve got all the hope in the world. Jesus Christ, the Spirit of the living God, lives in you, and Jesus Christ has saved you if you’re saved here tonight.

And friend, you can have all that God has promised you if you’ll simply identify that sin of bitterness, turn to God, submit yourself to Him, And take responsibility for your life tonight. Do not let bitterness ruin your life.