A Victorious Christian should not feel resentment.
Let us consider what resentment is….and who it is against.
If we are a Christian….and belong to Christ, everything that comes to us is through His hand. He permits it…either for our learning, to draw out our faith in Him….or for our correction, to awaken to His claims on our life….or for our blessing, for every time we grow closer to Him, it is a blessing.
So we need to see first what resentment is:
Resentment is spoken in the scriptures as “bitterness”
Hebrews 12:15 “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.”
This was spoken of Esau. He sold his birthright easily enough, he never cared for it. But when it came time to acknowledging Jacob with the birthright…..he refused and hated him for obtaining it. He never let this resentment go….and it continued in his descendants, the Edomites toward Israel….till they were destroyed.
Peter told Simon, the sorcerer, when he pretended to be converted….and then tried to buy the gift of the Holy Spirit to make himself important…Acts 8:22-23….”Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.”
(The story is an interesting one. A revival was going on in Samaria, where Simon was “Somebody”….For they thought he was from God.
But when Jesus Christ was preached, and people were truly saved, they realized that he had fooled them.
But then Simon “believed”, and followed Phillip around, seeing the healing and miracles that he did in Jesus name. Then when the Holy Spirit was given by Peter coming and laying on of his hands….he felt he could regain his power….and sought to buy it.
The object of his affection wasn’t God’s glory but his own glory….because at the root of his heart….there was bitterness or resentment that Christ Jesus had replaced him with the people!)
Resentment then has to do with us….our place in the world, our place or position in our own thoughts:
Why did they do this to me?
Why should they have this, and not me? Why am I always the one to give in to this person’s way?
Why? Why? Why?
But all these “whys” have to do with the way people or God is treating me…..in other words, resentment has to do with our self-life.
My husband once was preaching on this verse in Hebrews and told a story on himself:
When he first came back into the Way with the Lord, and the Lord was dealing with him about people at work…about the church he was to attend…and about being called to preach….he kept asking God, “Why”.
Every time the Lord would deal with him, about this question…..”It is not for you to know why I tell you to do something….but for you to obey.”
Again and again, my husband would catch himself starting to ask, Why?
And again and again the Lord’s Words….”Not my Will, but Thine be done” would come to him.
It began to hurt every time he thought “why”…..and finally he settled things with the Lord…..he came as God’s servant, and simply told Him that he would obey….he would be in the place that God chose, with the people God chose, and doing the work God chose.
His heart came to the place of rest, and the bitterness….resentment….was gone.
And it is the same with each of us….
….when we see that we resent this or that….whatever it is, and for what cause or reason….we must deal with it by going to the Lord and laying it all out to Him.
“Lord, I resent this….and I want to deal with it….please show me the whole root of this, and I submit to You in it. Remove the bitterness, and resentment that is here….for I give it, and myself…and my place in this, to You.”
He will have the Victory over us….He will lead us as One with Him in our everyday things….and we can know the amazing liberty from the burden of bitterness and resentment.
A Victorious Christian should not feel resentment….for we have left the world’s accolades….and our desire for being first….and given ourselves to be the servants of the Most High.
He rules and overrules….and though we face many problems….and though the nights are dark, and the enemies are many….yet we rest in the Sovereign Pleasure of the Lord Jesus Christ….and yield in thanksgiving to the blessings He has for me,….for us.
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 