Dr. Jim Schettler: Who is Ahithophel?

now I a lot of times I am asked brother seller how do you get your messages it does bother me a little bit that they're asking that like you may want to get another source or whatever but they let types of people ask me how do you get your messages and of course if you're in a study or you're in a series or whatever obviously that's your year ahead of that and studying that but a lot of times things happen in my life and after they happen in my life I go like well at least it'll make a good illustration someday and a lot of times you know just events occur but tonight's message is a little different the way I got tonight's message I got from a friend well at least it was a friend who jogged me kind of prodded me to really study this there was a man that I would go to lunch with maybe about once every other month so they was Steve rouse and Steve is a cabinetmaker just a godly man I I think sometimes some when you deal with friends there's kind of three kinds of friends spiritually those that when you're around it's hard to get Christ into a conversation you just you just kind of feel like oh boy they don't really want to talk about the things of the Lord then there's some people when you're around them you feel like you got to talk about the Lord you just feel like okay I think we got to talk about the Bible now and then there's those when you're around them you want to talk about the Lord and Steve was that kind of guy when you were around Steve yeah just he just enjoyed fellowship II know and he would tell me what he'd get from his devotions I would say when I got for my devotions and I really enjoyed my fellowship with Steve so we went to this little redneck diner about every other about every other month was called France diner and Cantonment Florida I mean it was where everyone in there was named Bubba and those are the and those were the waitresses okay and I mean it was just it was very redneck you know and I used to go that was Bible by one experience I would get every other month with the rednecks you know and so I loved it I loved fried Fran Schneider good prices and good food and Steve and I would just share different things that were going on in our life and I you know I'm entered him but I think he mentored me just as much so one day we were at Fran's diner and we were talking and he said this he said hey pastor have you ever studied about a HIPAA felt I decided hit the fella hit the fella hit the family at the felt I know that name I know that name I know that name I hit the felt somebody in David's Court right somebody and yeah he said you know who hit the fellas name I know I know he's somebody in David's Court or something like that he says yeah he says you gotta look it up and you got to find out who hit the fell it's really interesting I said okay I will I said who is he he said pastor I got to study it it's really good I said you know what I will who is he he said pastor you got if you've never studied to hit the fell it's really interesting I said you know what I will I'm gonna do that this thing I get the probably to find out tell me who he in this he said I'm not gonna tell you you got to find out who hit the fellas it's really cool and I said okay so we talked for a little bit longer I asked him a couple more times I'd slide it in you're there by the way Steve who's into the FEL you know he wouldn't give me so we're out in the parking lot we're about to leave and he said hey thanks pastor really enjoyed the lunch I said you know I didn't - Steve hey Steve just before you go yes sir I said who's I am about and he said ah pastor you gotta check it out man it's really good so it was about two weeks later I was in my study and I had a little bit of time and I said you know what I don't do that I hit the fell thing so I got my Strong's Concordance out I put it down I opened it up and I began to look at the references on a hit the fell and I gotta tell you what I found changed my life in the way that I looked at bitterness I found a study and I found a portrait of bitterness like I'd never seen before in the scriptures at all but in fact the title of my message tonight is ooh is I hit the film I can y'all say his name let's say his name together who is look at the person next to you and say I hit the fal who is a HIPAA fell a portrait of bitterness and it was absolutely an amazing Bible study that I'd like to share with you tonight now take your Bibles and turn to Exodus chapter 15 now you say brother cellular David is not in Exodus 15 no he's not but in order to understand a HIPPA fell we've got to understand what bitterness is so I want to give you a definition of bitterness first of all and I want to talk to you about the cure to bitterness and then I want to give you an incredible portrait how many like mysteries how many like a mystery a good mystery I love mysteries well tonight we're gonna have a Bible mystery on who is everyone together who is who is a HIPAA fell Exodus chapter 15 is an interesting passage because it's there is one reference to Esau as being bitter but before it besides that in Genesis this is really the first passage on bitterness in the entire Bible this is the key passage I've been in this man in fact if I was gonna counsel somebody that's struggling with bitterness this would be the passage I would go to this is all you need this is the cure this is the definition everything is found right here in Exodus 15 now let me tell you a little bit about X's 15 Exodus 15 I don't know if you know this or not brother first so this one's for you Exodus 15 follows exodus chapter 14 did you know that you didn't okay I'll use a Bible scholar you okay but Exodus chapter 15 follows Exodus chapter 14 but let me tell you bout Exodus chapter 14 Exodus chapter 14 is Israel crossing the Red Sea one of the most dramatic moments of the entire Old Testament one of the most important stories all of Israel's ancient history can really be summed up in them crossing two bodies of water the Red Sea is a picture of their salvation and the Jordan River into the Promised Land is a picture of their sanctification and basically I mean that the Exodus 14th one of the biggest chapters in the world then after they crossed the Red Sea picture of their salvation the picture of their salvation guess what you have in Exodus 15 you have the very first song in the Bible did you know that Exodus 15 is the first song mentioned in the Bible I'm not saying they didn't sing before Exodus 15 we just don't have any record of it Exodus 15 is the first song it's called Moses song matter of fact let me tell you folks we have the second song in the Bible here we have Miriam song and is that not interesting that after they get saved they have a song there is nothing like Christian music and we are the ones that have been given a song in our heart because of what Christ is done I find it interesting we don't have music until after Israel is saved out of Egypt and my friend after you get saved God puts a new song in your heart but is it also not interesting that we have this incredible passage on bitterness at the end of a chapter that has the first two songs brother Shelly what does that teach us I'll tell you what that teaches us we can come into the auditorium and sing beautiful songs and by the time we get in our car and we leave the parking lot we can have bitterness in our heart it's amazing to me how quickly Israel gets bitterness in their heart look with me if you wanted Exodus chapter 15 and let's begin reading the verse 20 kills hey by the way it's been a while since we stood let's stand for the reading of these verses and then we'll have a word of Prayer this is a incredibly instructive pass that's why you're standing I am gonna ask you one question to help me out nice and loud on Sunday night like you would for for pastor okay so we come into one part I need your help I want it real loud here we go Exodus chapter 4 15 verse 22 the Bible says so Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea and they went out into the wilderness of Shur and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water that's a big deal you can't go too long without water and when they came to Marah they could not drink of the waters of Marah for they were bitter therefore the name of it was called Marah obviously you've already learned some Hebrew Hebrew word for bitter is Mara so you could read it this way and when they came to bitter they could not drink of the waters a bitter for they were Marah therefore they named that they name of it was called bitter and the people murmured and boy that is the twin sister to bitterness is murmuring and the people murmured against Moses saying what shall we drink and he cried unto the Lord get ready folks and he cried unto the Lord and the Lord everyone together the next four words and the Lord did what that is the answer to bitterness father I pray that tonight we would understand the damage that bitterness can cause father I know of no other sin in the United States of America that is more prevalent in our society and in our churches than bitterness father I pray tonight that we would go to the tree and we would see what Christ has done for us and Lord how in the world could we be bitter at you or bitter at something that did something to us once we go to the tree father I pray that the mystery story of a kippah fell will long resonate in our hearts and minds that whenever that unresolved violation of our justice system comes up we will remember what it did to a hipa fell father I pray in Jesus Christ's name tonight there may be people that have harbored bitterness for years there may be people that this past week something happened and they haven't resolved it yet may we go to the tree thank you for the illustrations you give us from the Word of God I pray we'll never forget who FFL is and Lord may it remind us and help us to stay away from bitterness that will rot our soul spiritually I have no idea Lord the needs that are in this room tonight but I know father we live in a culture that is so bitter father made tonight we as a church as we come into all these campaigns and say what we're going to do for the cause of Christ may we do it without a bitter heart we pray these things in Jesus name and God's people said and you may be seated so they come out of the Red Sea the incredible victory they have a great song they've got a great victory going on they wander in the wilderness for three days now obviously they must have had some water left over from where they were in camped at PI high Iraq Vic Dolman bails ofon at the cul-de-sac apparently there was some kind of spring or water they crossed the Red Sea and now they go three days without water they've gotta have water their canteens or whatever they're carrying water in is obviously going down this is a huge concern here they would believe that if God is going to lead them out of Egypt and through the Red Sea surely the Lord is going to take care of their water needs and after the first day there's no water well this doesn't seem right this doesn't seem just God all right you did your big thing and giving this out of Egypt but what about the water after the second day they continue to wander they begin to realize they are in a desert and they begin to realize hey God this isn't right where's the water and after the third day they develop bitterness here's what I think bitterness is bitterness is the unresolved violation of your justice system when God created us in His image one of the ways that he created us is with a system of justice tonight I'm going to mention a couple things in this message that I cannot prove but after 40 years of ministry and 50 years being saved and being 62 years of age there's a couple things I have observed I share this with you from the bottom of my heart one of them is in the area of justice I know that many of you would say that the strongest emotion in man is love there is even a verse I believe it's in Song of Solomon that love is as strong as death and I do believe that love is an incredible motivator in a very strong emotion but I personally believe that there is no emotion man experiences that stronger than the emotion of justice that is not right that isn't fair what you did to that person Wow you trampled down that individual what you said about that you betrayed me you lied that isn't right I will tell you this in the United States of America we talked about the things that we worship here we bow down at the altar of fairness if things are not fair man this isn't right this isn't fair what about my rights what that person did to be needs to be judged in over 40 years of ministry in counseling people the biggest thing that I have seen is this unresolved violation of their justice system they can't resolve it and right now Israel is like okay God delivers us out of Egypt he better give us water this is not right that we do not have any water now notice what they do they murmur against Authority and that's where it will usually be directed it'll usually be directed towards an authority figure that did something wrong in our life and we can't resolve what they said what they did and how they heard us it could be a friend no doubt about it could be a neighbor it could be a classmate whatever but there is a non resolve violation and it can go two ways it can go vertically and it can go horizontally you can be bitter towards God although we don't like to say that but we have an unresolved violation of our justice system that something happened in our marriage something happened in our family something happened in my life the way I was created or this event occurred and you have never been able to resolve it it is not right that that should happen what did I do to deserve that thing that injustice into my life well that's where we come with Israel at this point and look at verse 23 it's pretty powerful and when they came to Marah so by the way I even think that they like they were tricked they came down to water they went down to the water and they begin to drink the water only to spew it back out what Oh terrible old trick on us God okay you gave us water but God we can't drink this stuff it's bitter it's terrible they have a non resolve violation of their justice systems not right notice what happens and he so they come to Moses they murmur divorces and he cried on to the Lord now notice what the Lord doesn't do in Lord notice what the Lord does to the Lord very easily could have said hey Moses go another half mile there's another pond in it's fresh water and everything will be fine he could he could have said just dig here a little bit and I'll bring the water up but he doesn't do that he's going to use the bitter water but he's going to put something in that bitter water so he doesn't change in other words the situation but he puts something into the situation and I just want to tell you 40 years of counseling there isn't anything that will change a bitter situation faster than the cross of Calvary he tells him Moses do you see the tree that the dead went over there pick it up and throw it into the water so Moses goes over he picks up the tree and he takes the tree obviously a picture of the cross and he takes the tree and he throws the tree into the water at which time the water is made sweet I truly believe that when you take the cross of Calvary and you throw it into bitter situation it will be made sweet and here goes whether it is a vertical or a horizontal problem let me explain let's do let's do horizontal first let's do horizontal first okay so somebody has done you wrong they lied about you they said something about you they mistreated you they broke their wedding vows on you they they whatever they've done they did wrong maybe it's a sibling maybe it's a parent maybe it's a relative maybe you've been molested it doesn't matter it's a horizontal thing and it's been done wrong to you somebody maybe it worked this week took something from you somebody stole something it's a horizontal thing you're not better this way you're bitter this way go to the cross because when you go to the cross you realize what Christ has forgiven you of and I stand here and tell you tonight there will never be anything done to you on this planet that will be worse than what you did to Jesus Christ and if Jesus Christ forgave you of your sin you can forgive anyone of their sin the key be tender-hearted forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you Ephesians 4:32 the same way that God for Christ's sake has forgiven you you can forgive anybody for anything else so we have a lot of students that are here there is no question this semester your roommates will say something or do something that is not right that they will hurt you and and you just say god I can't forgive them for doing it and it's like the fourth time they've done it go to the cross because at the cross you remember how many times Christ is forgiving you of another sin and you will always be able to forgive somebody else when you realize what you have been forgiven of the basis for forgiveness to somebody else is the forgiveness that you have received yourself go to the tree you say brother seller just being totally honest tonight it isn't horizontal its vertical why did God create me this way why did God allow this and you know what this wasn't man that did this God allowed this to happen there is something in my life that has occurred there is something that I have never been able to understand and I gotta tell you honestly mine is not horizontal - vertical God why why didn't you allow this go to the tree because when you go to the tree and you realize the suffering that Christ did for you when you realize what God the Father did by placing his only begotten son on that cross how in the world can you be upset for anything that's happened in your life when you see the love of God for you on that tree if you got a vertical problem towards God spend some time at the foot of the cross if you got a if you got a spiritual problem towards the Lord that something's happened in your life and your marriage and your family and your word it's not right that this happened god I don't blame them I blame you go to the tree and you will see the son of God how he spared how God the Father spared not his own son and if he loves you that much my friend my friend how can you be bitter with a God that his showed his love toward you so the cure to bitterness is the cross of Calvary the definition of bitterness is the on resolve violation of your justice system tonight I would like to share with you a portrait of somebody who never went to the tree his name is a hit the fell take your Bibles and turn to 2nd Samuel chapter 15 so I was in my office and I took my Strong's Concordance out and I began to look up the the passages of I hid the fell so Steve rouse said I need to study a hit the fell so the first time I hit the Fowler's mentioned in the Bible is 2nd samuel chapter 15 remember I don't know anything about a HIPAA fell whatsoever I don't know if he's a good guy he's a bad guy I just remembered he had something to do with David that's all I remembered but I didn't remember if this is one of David's good guys are one of David's bad guys so do know when I come to second Samuel chapter 15 and I look up the first reference I have nothing already in my memory banks that I can remember about him at all but here's the first time he's mentioned second Samuel chapter 15 and verse number 10 but oh whoa but everyone together what's the next word Absalom okay now I don't know really anything about it hit the bell at this point but I know absolutely now but Absalom is the epitome he's the personification of a non resolve violation of his justice system now Absalom's got the whole package Absalom was tall dark handsome he's charming he's witty everyone loves this guy and he's the son of David I mean this guy's got everything I mean Absalom walks into this church and everyone's made you see that guy man I got a man I got a handsome guy did you talk to him he's like the most charming guy he's witty he's hubris man he's a good athlete this guy's got everything he says got one problem he is so stinking bitter towards his dad you see he had a sister named Tamar and that sister is raped by Absalom's half-brother and Absalom is waiting for Abba dad to deal with the problem within the family but dad doesn't dad does not do right with this dad does wrong remember what bitterness is beyond resolve violation of her justice system and Absalom is so bitter at his dad but his bitterness is going to take the kingdom away from his father and he's got the personality to do it man I mean he's gonna split this Kingdom and he's gonna take away why because Absalom is a bitter man now I don't know anything about a hit the fella yet but I just read verse 10 and I'm going like okay I don't know I don't know who hit the fellas but wow they said I know who Absalom is but Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel saying as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet then ye shall say Absalom raynathan Hebron he's taking a Kiku over and with Absalom get this one now and with Absalom when two hundred men out of Jerusalem that were called and they went in their simplicity and they knew not anything so Absalom starts off with two hundred teenagers verse number twelve just junk and young people just jokin okay but isn't that an incredible indictment there two hundred guys didn't even know nothing I'm just going after mom we're just doing this but look at verse 12 this is the first reference of a hit though fell in the Bible in Absalom sent for a hit the fell the gila night everyone together david's cows or will brother seller you got your answer can we pray and go home we really know okay so i got a problem here another shelley we found out who hit the fellas he's david's counsel let's go only a second what does david's counselor doing joining Absalom why would a counselor of David being with Absalom and I get I don't know anything yet but I'm going wait a second Absalom sent for you I hit the fell to kill at night that's a suburb of Jerusalem david's counselor from his city even from gillo while he offered sacrifices and the conspiracy was strong for the people increased continually with Absalom wait a second don't hit the what are you doing I don't know who you it says your David's counselor so if you're David's counselor what are you doing with a with Absalom now let me share this with you this is point number one okay birds of a feather everyone together I know of nothing in life that that is more true than bitter people bitter people find bitter people unresolved file a ssin of your justice system it's like you come into church with a sign I'm bitter who's bitter to you know what you don't have to be bitter about the same person you don't have to be bitter about the same situation bitter people find bitter people if there's a wife here that's bitter towards her husband she will find another wife in this church who's bitter towards her husband it amazes me with college students it amazes me in one week a camp I mean you can let teenagers go and within hours birds of a feather have flocked together man I've bitter towards my parents who's else better man the bitter kids just get together what is a HIPAA fel doing with Absalom because bitterness goes with bitterness so I'm going this is kind of interesting why would david's counselor so I looked up the next reference the next reference is in chapter it get a little further down chapter 15 verse 31 now what happens from verse 12 to verse 31 is quite a bit turn those next verses a hipa fell excuse me Absalom takes over the kingdom Absalom has a coup he comes into Jerusalem takes over the kingdom David does not want to fight against his own son so David in a few of his loyal subjects leave they run down in the valley of Kidron up the Mount of Olives and they are at the top of the Mount of Olives just just a mile or so outside of my mountain outside of the King David's Kingdom outside of the palace and they're out there now while they're there they had to get out quick because absolute was coming in and killing everybody and David did not want to fight his own son so he runs out he leaves with a few men in there up at the mount Olive's while he's there a man comes running towards them and the man is gonna bring David news and the man is coming and he's running towards David and he's saying King David King David just who went with Absalom and I know David's thinking not I hit the FAL not against David David you're not gonna believe it guess who was absolutely not a hit the fell nada get the belt David I hit the fell look at verse number 31 and one told David saying a HIPPA fell is among the conspirators with Absalom and David said ho lord I pray thee turn the counsel of a HIPPA fell into foolishness and it came to pass that when David was come to the top of the mountain I need your help again I love this guy came to the top of the Mount where he worshiped God behold can you all say his name everyone together behold who shot let's say that name who shot now here's what I think who she is who she is the golden retriever of the Old Testament you ever how many have ever had a golden retriever or a black lab okay if you've ever had a golden retriever a black lab there's one thing about them you know they love you it doesn't matter what you do they love you and they're your buddy forever and ever and every one whose eyes that kind of guy and I absolutely love the way who shy comes I mean man he cares out of the kingdom look at how he comes and it comes to pass that when David was come to the top of the mound where he worshiped God behold who say the Ark I came to median with his total rent and urged upon his head now some people said well he was in mourning yeah I would be good with that on the cope you rep but not the earth on the thing I'm telling you want he's escaping because he is David's loyal man and he's going to be with David I just picture him as kind of a big burly guy you don't count like a bodyguard kind of guy and he comes running out there and he goes I'm here for you David now notice what it says in verse 33 under who David said woe if thou pass this on with me then thou shalt be a burden unto me we talkin about man I'm your man you tell me David I'm with you all the way I'm loyal to you okay so who say this is what I want you to do man you say it man whatever you want David I'm your man but if thou return to the city I return in two be quiet who say and say unto Absalom I will be thy certain now away I'm not absolutely observing on hey who said be quiet for just second I will be thy servant O king as I have been thy father's servant either - why would I want to do that so will I now also be thy servant then whoosh I may is now for me defeat second time he's mentioned the counsel of Ahithophel so who sure here's what I want you to do I want you to go back and I want you to be my spy and I want you to defeat I hit the fells council whatever if the fell says who shy you give the other council I don't want to be with you do shy there's nothing you can do better for me right now go retrieve okay go do this so who Shai goes by the way can I share this with you throughout our lives God brings who scheisse into our life those loyal friends that are there for you man and I gotta tell you you want to surround your people with who you want to surround yourself with people like who shy people that are loyal people that are with you through thick and through thin who shy is just one good friend and he says if this is what you want I'll do that okay let's go look at the next passage so there's not too many passages but we turned this chapter 16 and verse number 20 now this I think is the absolute key to understanding bitterness so Absalom has taken the kingdom he's got everything David's on the run and Absalom calls in I hid the felt and it's kind of like okay I got the kingdom I don't know what to do now you know I don't know what I should do next get a HIPAA felon ask hit the felt what I need to do now remember what bitterness is by the way we didn't review that so let me go over that again bitterness the on resolve violation of your justice system can you all say that with me be on that's bitterness look what he happens in verse 20 I think this is the essence of bitterness then said Absalom to a hit LaFell hey so I hit the fell give counsel among you what we shall do what what should I do now now notice what I hit the fell says and I hit the fells said on to Absalom you want to know what to do yeah yeah hit thought what should I do here's what you do go into thy father's concubines and the wives that were left which he hath left to keep the house and all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong so they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house everyone stopped the top of the house anyone remember what else happened at the top of that house you remember when David should have been out fighting and battling and he couldn't sleep one night because he wasn't doing the responsibilities that he should and he couldn't sleep he went to the top of the house and that's where he saw Bathsheba so here is what a HIPPA fell says I hit the fell says here's what you do you go over and you set up a tent on the top of the house and you get all the women that are left in the palace and you have your way with them you have immorality with them and the rest of the kingdom will then know you have established the kingdom by taking his women you see what in the world did he get that you know where you got that from I got that from another prophet and a good prophet his name was Nathan do you remember when Nathan come to came to confront David of his sin do you remember that story where he gives us illustration about the little wee lamb and that some guy took the little he had all these sheep he took the little wee lamb and David got so mad and says man I want to kill that guy and that and Nathan says thou art the man thou art the man David and then do you remember what happened Stephen admits that he's done wrong and then the consequences are given by the way you do realize forgiveness is not the absence of consequences forgiveness is the restoration of a relationship when people sin there are consequences David doesn't get out of the consequences of his sin he does get to restore his relationship with God but Nathan says there's consequences you open up we know that the baby dies that Bathsheba conceived the baby dies that's not the only one Nathan said something else there Nathan said in that fir in that second samuel 11 passage he says not only will the baby die but your concubines and wives will be shamed in front of all of Israel now this is extremely interesting because obviously a hit the FEL heard that not at this point in my study I have no clue who if the fell is but I'm thinking to myself this is really interesting what is bitterness the want everyone to gather the your justice system so if you have a non resolved violation of your justice system everyone together what do you want more than anything else justice if you're bitter you want justice you want things done right what is a hit the fells deal who is this guy why does he say okay Absalom here's what you do because Nathan said this one he's got to get justice David's got to get justice for what he did okay the baby died but that isn't all of it you put a tent on top of that house and you call those women and you have your way with those women because David's got to have justice when like whoa who is I hit the fell that he's got this kind of bitterness now the next part for me as I was studying was the hardest part verse 22 it says this so they spread Absalom a tenth absolute n upon the top of the house and Absalom went into his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel and the counsel of Ahithophel which he counseled in those days was as if a man had inquired at the Oracle of God so was also so was all the counsel of a hither fell both with David and with Absalom all right brothers sheller you got me now I'm really confused did you tell me that this guy's bitter oh this guy reeks with bitterness brother sheller didn't the Bible just say that when he spoke he spoke as the Oracles of God yeah matter of fact I do not know of another person besides Jesus Christ as that has spoken of that he spoke as God spoke when I hit the foul spoke it was like God was speaking brother seller are you telling me this guy's bitter oh this guy's full of bitterness are you telling me that when he spoke he spoke like God spoke yes do you have a problem with that all I did oh I did and I couldn't and I struggled with that but I remember the situation if I can be very transparent for a moment I was pastoring the campus Church in Pensacola it was around 1992 it was a Wednesday night we had a guest speaker the guy was nationally known he was a great speaker that night he came and preached and in my life up to that point I had never experienced the Holy Spirit on a service like I did that night that night the invitation went over two and a half hours with college students and church members getting right with God it was the most incredible message and it was the most incredible service six months later we found out that the guy who preached that Wednesday night had been living in immorality and had had prostitutes in cities all across America where he traveled he was living in sin and he's been doing it for three four years and I said oh wait a second here that was like the most incredible service I'd ever been in I mean God I know that was you but the stinkin vessel who gave it was filth and I want you to hear this we got a lot of Sunday School teachers in here we got a lot of people in ministry in here you need to hear this you can speak the Oracles of God in your classroom and have stinkin bitterness killing yet in your life you can be living in bitterness and still see a measure of God's blessing upon the truth that your delivery there's pastors in America today that were used by God because of the truth that they gave and they've got on unresolved violation of their justice system towards their wife or their children or somebody in that church if you want to just look at the visible results a HIPPA fel was blessed he spoke as the Oracles of God but this guy is racked with bitterness and I said I went there and I was like wow who is phal well the next passage is in Chapter 17 that's right away chapter 17 verse 1 it says this moreover a HIPPA fell said unto Absalom let me now choose out twelve thousand men and I will arise and pursue after David this night and I will come upon him while he is weary and we candid and will make him afraid and all the people that are with him shall flee and I will smite the King only whoa this guy wants to go out and kill David himself now I did not know this at this time okay so I give you a little I get up good I got to even search something right now that I did not know when I was doing this this is an old man how do you know that I can't tell you to the end okay but this is an old man so we have an old guy that comes to David or excuse me comes to Absalom and what is he saying absolutely give me twelve thousand men and I'll go get David tonight and I'll tell up myself and bring his hat back on a platter and I gotta tell you as bitter as Absalom is absolute like wool bub saddle down man like whoa I know I'm bitter towards my dad but you really got a bad so what does Absalom do absolutely could you know maybe I better get counsel from somebody else I mean a hit the fells no so in comes everyone together Poosh Poosh i wish i come - yes sir i'm here for you i'm your servant what can i do for you who say i got a question what should i do now that I'm Keegan I got the kingdom why did I hit the fell say it's exactly what's in this really cool what did I hit the fell say well I hit the fell told me to go out tonight and go get my dad and kill him tonight and I hit the fell said he would go do it himself should I give him 12,000 men she would go do it tonight I don't think that's a good idea what should I do Absalom have you ever seen a wounded animal yeah when an animal is wounded is the most dangerous of all yeah right now your dad has been wounded I wouldn't go tonight I would wait don't go after your dad tonight wait and get all your forces together get it all organized put a strategy together and then go get your dad why that sounds like a lot of sense whoosh I I think we'll do that do you know that if Absalom listened to a hit the fell that night David wasn't prepared at all David did not have anyone with him except for a few men David would have been killed that night had Absalom listened to Agatha fell but absolutely was in the who shy and because of that David was spared what happened to who shine well they only got two more passages in the entire Bible take your Bibles and turn to 2nd Samuel 17 and verse 23 second Samuel 20 now this is very interesting it's our evenness and I'm going like wow this is the coolest thing in the world but look at verse 23 and when I hit the fell saw that his counsel was not followed he saddled his ass a rose and got him home to his house to a city put his house in order and hanged himself and died and was buried in the Sepulcher of his father Wow this guy went home and committed suicide yeah now I want to share this and I say this very gingerly this is a large group today I do not know all of your situations in my ministry I've been involved with about a half dozen suicides some of them left some journals Diaries or notes some of them you just like how in the world why did that girl do that what happened what in the world teenager and as you begin to go down the twig down the branch down the limb down the trunk and you find out more things and you do investigation this is what I have found that the root of all the suicides and I've been involved with is bitterness there's an unresolved violation of their justice system that they can't work out whether it's vertical or horizontal or both so what are they going to do they're gonna do the greatest act of justice and they're gonna take their life brother schüttler do you realize that there's overdose situations of suicide you know what I do I absolutely do but I think if you follow that all the way down why did they overdose I'm sure that there's some exceptions but I won't tell you this I believe at the root of almost all suicides you will find an unresolved violation of their justice system that they could not work through and by the way if you disagree with we were good to go this isn't a doctorate on the suicide thing but I'm going to tell you this anyone that has bitterness in their life you're committing spiritual suicide you are completely cutting off your walk and relationship with God so whether you think it's physical or whatever but it is interesting that I hit the fal ends up taking his own life he commits suicide I'm sitting in my study and I'm going the guy just killed himself and I look in my Strong's Concordance and there's only one more verse there's only one first left and I go like whoa who is this guy and I take my Bible and I turn to second Samuel 23 second Samuel 23 and so I'm running over to second Samuel 23 and I've heard of the paints up going like man I'm a BA ready to call Steve rouse who is thinking about getting bitter at him you know and I I'm going to it so I got one verse left and I'm running over to second Samuel 23 and as I'm going over to second Samuel 23 I go hey second anything so I kept saying about 23 seconds a no 23 I kind of like a series of messages on second Samuel to it that's David's mighty man second Samuel 23 I think there's thirty seven guys and there's some of the coolest guys and there was a guy named odo he's a good guy there's a guy that jumps down into a pit in the middle of the winter and you know fights and kills a lion in the middle of the winter and I mean there's some really cool guy second Samuel 23 these are david's mighty man and I'm thinking to myself no way I hit the fellas David's one of them david's mighty man and I said man there's no way and you know what he's not but his son yes I hit the fell son is one of david's mighty man look with me if you would at verse 34 Iliff lat the son of a i the son of the Makah thine aalayam the son of a hit the fell the gila night now I don't know the last passage this is the last reference and I'm going okay I'm ready to call Steve rouse what in the world who is a hit the fella but there is something I realize in this verse that whatever made hid the bitter made a lime better because I a lime is the son of the hit FL so I'm thinking to myself oh this is the coolest thing in the world okay I have no clue who I hit the fellas yet but this is the coolest thing in the world because I hit the fell kills himself and Hanks David but he has a son and his son ends up being one of david's mighty men and I want to stop here and I share this with you a family can go through cancer a family can go through a tremendous loss a person can go through an incredibly terrible thing and one person gets dinner and another person becomes better and that is up to you my friend what you do with that bitterness whether you take it to the tree or you're gonna take it to your grave but you can either get bitter or better with everything that happens in life I know people whatever you want to tell me about somebody that got bitter because this happened or this happened I can give you somebody else that had that happen to as well they were molested and now they're better they got a ministry that's unbelievable to people this happened to that well I got somebody that this happened to them too you can either get bitter or you can get better I hit the foul becomes bitter and he takes his life but he has a son and his son gets better so I'm sitting in my office and I'm looking at this and there's no more references if they hit the fell and I'm going like okay so who in the world is this by the way I did not come up with this statement I think some of you've heard this before but I wrote it next to this verse bitterness is the poison we swallow in our effort to harm the one who wronged us bitterness is the poison we swallow in our effort to harm the one who wronged us guys bitterness just hurts yourself aalayam turns out to be a better man he turns out to be one of david's mighty man I don't know who I hit the fell is at this point but I'm going whoever he is he handled it different than the way his son did so I'm sending my officers no more there's no more references if I get the Vil and I'm ready to call Steve Rose but I looked at the navy lion and I said hey who is this a lion guy so I looked at Stotts Gorton's he's only mentioned twice he's mentioned right here he's mentioned in one other place and when I found out who a lion was I found out who it had the fellas take your Bibles and turn to second Samuel Chapter 11 and as I began turning back to 2nd Samuel 11 to look at the one reference of a lion I started thinking now second Samuel 11 that's the David Bathsheba's story look with me if you would in second Samuel chapter 11 and verse number 2 and it came to pass in the evening tide that David arose from off his bed and walked upon the roof of the king's house and from the roof remember that top of that roof he saw a woman washing herself and the woman was very beautiful to look upon David sent and inquired after the woman and one said Oh King David is this not it's not this Bathsheba the daughter of a lion the wife of Uriah the Hittite and it was like have you ever put together a puzzle around Christmas time and there you got these pieces at the end you just and then all of a sudden it all comes together I hit the foul is the grandfather of Bathsheba and then it all made sense a HIPPA fells family name went down in the gutter when David decided to be a pervert and immoral and break God's laws and a HIPPA fell never let that go I would imagine there were times when I hit the fellas walking around the palace and there were a couple guys talking and he'd come around the corner and they go say anything hey at the FEL how are you doing today what are you guys talking about the weather in Jerusalem it was a nice day today it rained all day what were you guys talking about nothing talking about my granddaughter aren't you you're talking about my family aren't you no no I get the felt we just I'm telling you you call him a little shepherd boy you call him the Goliath killer I call him the home wrecker I called the murderer and you know what all the hit the fell never went to the tree and I hit the fell held on to it and a hit that fell sis you've messed up our family everyone thinks you're the greatest thing since sliced bread David but I think you're a pervert I think you're a moral I think you're a murderer and I think you deserve justice David for what you did and what you did to our family he never let go Alai him somewhere along the line he's able to let it go that makes you our my team and let me tell you but if the file never did I was preaching this one time at a create camp the seventh grade boy comes up to me afterwards and he says this he said hey brother shout ler did you ever think about who I hit the fells great-grandson would have been if he hadn't killed himself first of all I'm thinking of myself I didn't think 7th grade boys even listened when I preached okay but I said no son who'd that been that Ben Solomon and I went wow Solomon was the great-grandson do I hit the fell but I hit the fill never met Solomon here the film never got to mentor Solomon hit the veil never got to influence Solomon's life because he took his life because of bitterness what will you miss in your life because of the bitterness that you won't let go off now listen it's an unresolved violation of your justice system they did you wrong that roommate is wrong about what they did so what are you gonna do with it are you gonna swallow the poison that you're trying to give to your roommate are you gonna swallow the poison that you're trying to give to your spouse are you gonna swallow the poison that you're trying to give to your parents because of what your parents did to you are you gonna swallow the poison of some past pastor that did something into your family or your life or some past Church or are you gonna resolve it at the tree because I'm telling you nobody's ever done anything to you that is worse than what you did to Jesus Christ and Christ forgave you you either get better or you get better who is a HIPAA fell he's a portrait of bitterness that I am telling you will ruin a church and ruin a family and ruin a life it's not worth it man go to the cross and ask for forgiveness

Channel: Lancaster Baptist Church

Views: 5,813

Rating: 4.8130841 out of 5

Keywords: preaching, sermon, Christian, God, Jesus, Pastor, Paul, Chappell, Jim Schettler, Lancaster, Baptist, Church

Id: u2aC68wLcWk

Length: 58min 34sec (3514 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 16 2019