No Complaining

PP: We must stop complaining and be content for the sake of our witness and the rejoicing of others.

1. Learn to be Content (vv. 14)

2. Be Known for Your Contentment (vv. 15-16a)

3. Be a Joy to Others (vv. 16b)

Philippians 2:14-16

Do all things without grumbling or disputing,

that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain

RTL: If they don’t get this they’ll continue living with this sinful attitude being unchecked, fitting in with the common pattern of the world, being known just like everyone else that complains.

Intro

I don’t normally watch too many sci-fi movies but it was during COVID that i was able to watch this whole series that I now have come to love …

Star Wars

How of many of you love Star Wars too?

If I were to ask you who your favorite character is … I am going to guess you’d say Luke Skywalker, Anakin, Kylo Ren, Boba Fett, or Yoda

Who you wouldn’t probably say is C3PO

Why though? Well he’s pretty annoying but there’s something he does that characterizes him and makes him unique

It’s not that he’s kinda useless and doesn’t contribute much as a droid (it’s funny they could just leave him somewhere and nothing would change)

but C3P0 is always complaining about everything

almost every time he shows up in a scene he’s complaining about something

and in your mind that’s why he sticks out, always negative, always expressing what he really feels, never satisfied

everything he did he did with complaining and arguing

C3P0 is characterized by what the Bible says we should not be known as -

as complainers

The sad reality is that for a lot of you here… you’re someone that is similar to him … always complaining … and this sin has been something that’s gone unnoticed and just become habit

Today we’re gonna look at a passage where God is going to show us

… that if we stop our complaining

… we’re gonna be able to be effective witnesses

… and he’s gonna say we should do this for the sake of causing others to rejoice

READ ALL TEXT

You could think of these words as complaining and arguing

All? You know what that word really means … it’s something you’ll get … All

I think we’re familiar with the word grumbling (or complaining) but what’s disputing?

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it’s what goes on in your thoughts,

think of the word dialoguing,

maybe you don’t verbalize your grumbling, but certainly are complaining in your mind

So you got external grumbling and internal disputing

Can become a habit for most of us

we naturally aren’t content

which is why you don’t read this and say “oh ya I got that one in the bag”

this is gonna take effort on our part

so we’re gonna have to learn how to do this

1. Learn to be Content (vv. 14)

Contentment: is this godly attitude that God wants us to have

Someone who learned this important quality was the guy writing these words … Paul - Phil. 4:11

do you guys know where Paul was as he wrote the book of Philippians? … in Prison

He was in the worst of circumstances …

think about it in chains, he was hungry, mistreated …

wasn’t like us on the couch

and yet wasn’t complaining

his contentment was not based on his situation

Drop down to Phil 4:19 -

he knew that God was in control of everything and that God is good …

he trusted God

This is at the root of why complaining is a sin … it is shows your lack of trust in God

so when you complain your verbal dissatisfaction or internal dissatisfaction with

God

Ask yourself what do you complain about?

Food - mom giving you leftovers for dinner “you see that mom puts the meatloaf on the table and you go ughhh mom we’re having this again”

Thanksgiving

having to help out with dinner

someone takes all the mac and cheese,

someone used the last of the whip cream for the pumpkin pie

Christmas - don’t get what you were hoping for and thought you were going to get

New AirPords, Noise-Cancelling Headphones,

Weather - were complaining that you couldn’t go out this past weekend bc of the rain, practice was cancelled

Chores - having to walk the dog

What about the wifi being slow?

Sports - you got called on by the ref and start verbalizing your complaint to him

Who do you complain about?

Parents - “i wish they would let me do this or go here”

Maybe you think it’s insignificant do you roll your eyes at them?

Teachers - think about the conversations you have with your friends?

Are they littered with complaints about your teachers?

In all of these you are ultimately complaining to God even if it is indirect

Some of us dress up complaining with nicer words

e.g. like venting, or being honest, or getting something off of my chest

like wrapping up a stick of dynamite with the nicest wrapping paper, nicest bow and say wow that looks great

Complaining starts with our desires (which don’t have to be bad),

but they turn into expectations,

then expectations

become our rights (“something I deserve”) - that’s when we say … not fair!

Now I know some of you are going through tough times

and it’s not wrong for you to tell God how you are feeling

Psalms of Lament

but it can become sinful if you start saying “God you are doing this wrong”

Remember things in our lives for our good

if you are struggling with this right now…

pray to God …

say “God help me to trust that you are good”

When I ask you who were people in the Bible known for their grumbling? Who would you say? - Israelites

let’s read about them in…

Num. 14:1-4

were on the verge of entering the Promise Land;

but if you guys remember the spies bring back a negative report about the Promise land and the Israelites complain!

What are they complaining about?

they wanted to go back to Egypt (v.3c) and they go into the wilderness by the Red Sea

they didn’t want to enter the land bc they said they would die there (v.2-3) and they never enter it and they actually die in the wilderness

they’re afraid that their kids would become a prey (v.3) and it’s their kids who enter the promise land 40 yrs later

It’s a good thing you all knew who i was talking about when i asked

but it’s also sad bc the Israelites have a reputation for being grumblers and not being content

If I were to ask your close friends .... “what’s Joe like, what’s Mason like, what’s Faith like, what’s Caleb like”

… Are they someone who is content/satisfied or someone who is constantly grumbling?

What are they like?

The goal is that you would be known for your contentment (having a reputation)

2. Be Known for Your Contentment (vv. 15-16a)

There is something I’ve been wanting to do for a couple years now, just to check it out and experience it -

it’s a festival & actually took place yesterday in Southern California, thousands of ppl attend

it’s called the Lights Festival

the idea of it is simple

you pay and you get this lantern, you can put designs on it or whatever you’d like, you can draw anything on it

but the main thing is that … after it gets dark these thousands of ppl go into a field & light up their lanterns and let them go into sky

pitch black (it’s a dark night) and then as soon as they let them go …

you see all these lights shining brightly in the sky

God says something similar about us being lights in a dark world

if you are a Christian here you are a light

But what should we look like as lights?

READ v.15

so there is correlation with either your attitude of contentment or discontentment that has to do with your witness in the world

“Blameless” means no finger of criticism can be pointed at us

It’d be like if someone asked your best friend

“when was the last time they complained”

they’d say they can’t remember the last time you complained

Innocent

similar idea but this is the idea of keeping something pure; it’s like you are not contaminated with complaining

like my tall water glass getting contaminated with flies

wait hold on are you saying we need to be perfect ?

no but we should try (v.13)

even Paul said he wasn’t perfect (3:12),

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own

this is what he is talking about here about being a child of God

Without blemish

that’s you not being stained with complaining

“In the midst”

Do you guys know … God purposefully has us living in a morally crooked and twisted society

It’s interesting bc God uses this description to talk about our society today and also of Israel

Deut. 32:3-4

“The Rock, his work is perfect,

for all his ways are justice.

A God of faithfulness and without iniquity,

just and upright is he.

They have dealt corruptly with him;

they are no longer his children because they are blemished;

they are a crooked and twisted generation.

God called the Israelites to be set apart from the rest of the world, to be totally different

God says that we should be different, shining as lights in the world

we shine or we turn off the light either with our attitude of contentment or discontentment

We live in a complaining world where it is normal to complain

if you are someone who is instead known for being content ( trusting God)… you’ll be a godly influence to the world

if you say your’e a Christian, ppl will watch, so you want to have the most effective witness

That’s why complaining has a debilitating effect on your influence 

So how can we increase in our contentment and remove complaining from our lives?

look at verse 16a

This is the gospel and by extension the words of scripture

to have a firm grasp on the Word of God

it’d be me like me going on something I would never do … Supreme Scream

just for the sake of illustration

holding onto the straps

When you feel that urge to complain … you have to remind yourself of God’s Word

we gotta know what it says

this is gonna take effort on your part

What should you remind yourself of?

God’s truth in His Word - You can write these down

Psalm 31:19 - God’s Goodness

Oh, how abundant is your goodness,

which you have stored up for those who fear you

and worked for those who take refuge in you,

in the sight of the children of mankind!

Ps. 103:1-5 - The Mercy of God found in his Benefits

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and all that is within me,

bless his holy name!

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits,

who forgives all your iniquity,

who heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit,

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

who satisfies you with good

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

James 1: 2-4 - God being in control of our lives

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Also Pray about it! God says in…

Ps. 46:1

God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

That’s how we are going to be able to shine brightly with an attitude of contentment

Turn back to the second half of v.16

this is the why

Natural thought you probably had is …

Is he being selfish here?

He’s saying

“hey you shouldn’t grumble and should be lights so that at the day when God judges me I’ll be able to see I didn’t waste my time”

Phil 1:21 -

his life was Christ,

everything he did was for Christ - including his ministry

He’s saying “i want to be able to rejoice when i look back and see that all my effort I put into you guys was worth it!”

What he’s doing is …

He’s encouraging them to bring him joy by listening to what he is saying

In the same way … God wants you … to be bring joy to the people who are working hard to discipling you

 3. Be a Joy to Others (vv. 16b)

Bc Paul’s life was all about God, the people he was discipling were his life also

bc he loved God and consequently loved his ppl

In Phil. 4:1 Paul says

Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

crown is the seeing all his efforts come to it’s full realization

He was running the race of Christianity (discipling the Philippians) and exerting himself for them

If you have guys have ever worked hard, tirelessly, for a goal

you know what i am talking about

I ran XC and Track in High School

working hard for a PR

never got a crown or got to go on the podium

but did work hard for a goal

Think about all the people in your life that are working tirelessly for you!

Exerting themselves for your benefit

Parents - they take time to bring you here

they pray for you

Nathan - prepares sermons for you every week (do you know he thinks about you as he’s prepping)

prays for you

leads this ministry

listens to you guys

Leaders - take time out their week to faithfully be here on Wed and the Weekends

take time to meet with you and disciple you

study for you

they pray for you

They do this because they love God and love you

and want to see you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and to see you in heaven

so that you both can rejoice

They are in the race and God has placed you in their lives …

& … they are doing their best to be faithful to disciple you

they are doing mile repeats

they are running up hills

they are doing sprints

for You!

You are what they are working for!

They’ve told you the gospel… and

… some of you have responded & become Christians

… and some of you will

You don’t believe for their sake

No you don’t repent and place your faith in them

but they are the vessel for you to hear the gospel

The best thing you can do right now for those people in your life (what they would want)

is to be faithful to live out the truth of God’s Word

as they are being faithful to you they want you to be faithful to them

 3 John 3-4

For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

The people in your life that are discipling you right now …

want you to learn to be content and to be a light in the world with this attitude

I want you to think about how different things would be if you’d learn to be content

your friends would see you differently - they would even ask

your family

The holiday season coming so you’ll be with family …

My prayer is that we would be able to do more content for the sake of our witness and bringing joy to others around us

Let’s pray about that