Philippians #10 Don’t Be A Complainer

INTRODUCTION Philippians 2:14-18.

I know it has been a long time since we last met for Bible study so I feel like I need to review just a bit.

Read Philippians 2:1-18. Take not how our text for tonight is interrelated to the previous verses.

The portion of scripture we are looking at tonight is very much related to the earlier portion of Philippians 2.

Philippians 2 begins with a call to unity.

The body of Christ, being a body is to be unified.

We are to have the same love, be united in spirit, and focused on one purpose.

The best way this type of unity is developed and maintained is through humility.

If we are to be unified, then we must think of God first, and others second.

Which brings us to the second portion of chapter 2, our example to that end.

Our Savior showed us what a life that puts God first and others second looks like.

The supreme example of this is seen in the cross.

First Jesus carried out the mission of substitutionary atonement out of love for the Father.

The Father gave Jesus this work to do.

And Jesus dutifully carried it out.

So much so that near the end of His life Jesus could say, John 17:4

John 17:4 NASB95

“I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.

Jesus willingly subordinated Himself to the will and purposes of the Father.

This is what humility looks like.

Second, Jesus carried out the mission of substitutionary atonement out of love for others.

Jesus by His own words, Matt 20:28

Matthew 20:28 NASB95

just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Jesus demonstrated supreme humility when He laid down His life for us.

Then we saw how the Father exalted and will continue to exalt the Son for His perfect obedience.

Jesus was given a name above every other name, and that name is Lord.

This is the pattern for our life as well.

We are too walk in His footsteps, embracing the will of the Father for our lives, and in due time, He will exalt us as well.

All of which brought us to the command, pursue sanctification.

Sanctification is the key to living the life God has called us to.

What is sanctification?

Sanctification is really nothing more than the process whereby we become holy, or to say it another way, like Jesus.

Just as Jesus obeyed the will of the Father for His life, we too are to do the same.

Remember, Paul commended the Philippian believers for their obedience and encouraged them to continue forward with the same.

This requires effort, a careful and concerted effort on our part.

We are commanded to pursue sanctification.

Which brings us to verse 14.

In our text tonight we see …..

Pursue sanctification with the right attitude.

Pursue sanctification with the right ambition.

Pursue sanctification for the right aftermath.

PURSUE SANCTIFICATION WITH THE RIGHT ATTITUDE

One of the mistakes we make when studying the Bible is to neglect the context.

The context is vital to our understanding of any given verse in the Bible.

Often times what we do is we lock in on a verse and forget how it it related to the previous verses and or the verses that come after.

When you do that, you may arrive at some general principles to be learned, but you will miss the primary intention of the Spirit of God.

We could talk about not grumbling and complaining in general, but that is not really the focus here.

The focus is something more.

That doesn’t mean that we ignore the general principle, but rather that we apply it to the context.

The general principle is really rather simple.

Don’t be a complainer.

Two words are used to express that thought.

First, don’t grumble.

The Greek word is an onomatopoeic word.

It sounds like it is spelled.

Literally it means to express one’s discontent.

Second, don’t dispute.

This word means to have inward reasonings.

Of course the context is grumbling.

The idea here is quit justifying your grumbling.

This all sounds so simple, but in reality, grumbling is deeply ingrained in us all.

Adam was the first grumbler.

It was that woman You gave me.

It is your fault God, I wouldn’t be in this predicament if it wasn’t for you.

The Israelites began to grumble the moment they left Egypt, and they did not stop grumbling until they had all died off in judgment.

They grumbled about the direction Moses was taking them.

They grumbled about the lack of water.

They grumbled about the lack of food.

They grumbled about the kind of food.

They grumbled about their leader.

They grumbled about virtually everything.

Later the Israelites grumbled they did not have a king.

When Jesus came they grumbled at Him.

And they are nothing unique, we too grumble.

We are good at it.

But the general principle is that grumbling is sin.

The verb here is “do” , and it is an imperative.

Therefore this is a command in God’s word.

It is every bit as much a command as Thou shall not lie or steal or murder.

Therefore, it is sin to grumble.

If you don’t believe that, look back on the record of the Israelites in the wilderness.

Read Numbers 14:1-38, (NASB would be best) what is Israel’s sin? Take note of one word that appears three times. And how serious was the Lord’s response?

They wished they had died in Egypt, or died in the wilderness.

They grumbled they would die by the sword, and their children would be plunder.

They even decided to appoint a new leader and get rid of Moses.

Three times the word grumble appears, and also the word complain.

And the Lord pronounced a final judgement against them.

Every adult forfeited the blessing of the promised land.

I would say that the Lord is really angered by grumbling.

Read Numbers 14:1-38 again, who were they really complaining about? And why?

Ultimately they were complaining about God.

I say this because Moses and Aaron were really only God’s spokesmen.

YHWH was giving the orders.

YHWH was in charge.

YHWH was and is sovereign.

Notice in verse 11, “How long will this people spurn Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst?

They spurned the Lord.

They spurned the Lord without cause.

The point is this, after all that YHWH had done for them in Egypt, and we could also add in the wilderness up until this point, they should have been fearless.

Pharaoh tried to prevent their leaving, YHWH overwhelmed him.

The plagues destroyed virtually everything in Egypt, but the Israelites and their stuff was untouched.

The army of Egypt was bearing down upon the children of Israel, YHWH destroyed the threat.

Dehydration was an issue, YHWH provided water.

Food was scarce, YHWH provided bread and meat.

The people should have trust YHWH and been fearless.

But they were not.

Romans 15:4 explains the importance of the OT. So what are we to learn from Numbers 14?

The first thing we should take note of is that attitude matters.

We should have a better attitude about life in general because ultimately YHWH is sovereign.

I thought about this a lot because Stacy and I both have complained that all our children and grandchildren live so far away.

But if I truly believe what I teach, then I have to admit that YHWH will cause this to work together for our good.

What is the scope of Romans 8:28, what kinds of things are included in this promise?

In fact, Romans 8:28 says “all things”

Romans 8:28 NASB95

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Now, having said that, all things even includes sinful things.

Painful things.

Hurtful things.

Financial setbacks.

That does not mean that YHWH ordains sin in our lives.

But it does mean that He can overcome that sin and use it for our good.

If it is our sin, then the good may be the result of discipline.

But folks, Romans 8:28 is really a testimony to the greatness of our God.

And so when we grumble about our circumstances, we are really grumbling about how the Lord is dealing with us.

The Bible describes a God who is in total control.

Now when I say that, I do not mean that He does evil, but He does allow it.

This is why, ultimately everything that happens comes back to Him.

Could YHWH prevent sin?

Absolutely.

Could YHWH prevent catastrophes?

Sure He can.

Therefore we must conclude that when those things occur, YHWH has providentially and sovereignly permitted those things.

Some of our biggest grumbling is against other people who offend us.

The guy on the freeway cuts us off, we get mad and growl at him..

The lady in the grocery store cuts the line, we get mad and complain.

Someone in church says something hateful, we are offended and grumble.

I do it, you do it, we all do it, and it is sin.

In reality these are learning moments.

I have long said, when others offend us, this is our opportunity to grow in grace.

If nobody ever offends me, then how will I ever learn to forgive the way Christ forgave?

I think you get the idea.

To grumble is ultimately to grumble against God.

That is the general principle, and some great words to live by.

Specifically this is in reference to our sanctification.

Which is why I brought up when other sin against us.

When we were children I can remember how some teachers dealt with tattle tale children.

They would tell them to go and take care of themselves and to quit worrying about what other children were doing.

That is exactly the same idea here.

YHWH is telling us, quit grumbling about others and take care of your own sanctification.

Again, if nobody ever offends you, you will never perfect being forgiving.

If everybody around you always does what you want, then how will you ever learn to love the way Christ loves sinners?

If you are going through a difficult time, don’t grumble, chances are very high that it is God who is at work in you to will and to do for His good pleasure.

In Genesis 12 , a famine occurred in the land of Canaan. What do you suppose was the Lord’s purpose for the famine?

This was a test for Abram, and he failed the test.

He left the promised land and went to Egypt.

He didn’t trust God to take care of Him.

Then in Egypt, Abram sinned again by lying about Sarai, he passed her off as his sister.

Then Pharaoh got mad and drove Abram out of Egypt.

In it all we see the hand of the Lord moving so that Abram ends up back in the promised land where the Lord wanted him.

The moral of the story is this, the famine was a learning moment for Abram.

Abram missed that opportunity by taking matters into his own hands.

Only to sin even more.

Ultimately, YHWH intervened, and the lesson continued.

Such is the case with us.

What are the connections between James 1:2-3 and our text which forbids grumbling in Philippians?

James said, count it all joy when you encounter trials.

Paul says, have the right attitude.

Same thing really.

We should rejoice that God is at work in us to will and to do for His good pleasure.

And He must work in us, for thinking like God and doing the things of God does not come naturally to us.

So, have a good attitude as you are and the Lord are working on your sanctification.

Next we come to ….

PURSUE SANCTIFICATION WITH THE RIGHT AMBITION

I chose the world ambition because it characterizes the idea here.

Define ambition?

Ambition is a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work.

This is a great way to describe how we should pursue holiness.

Verse 15 begins with a “hina clause” or as we say often, a purpose clause.

Verse 15 explains why verse 14 is there.

The goal is sanctification, not just a lack of grumbling.

There are pagans who do not grumble very much.

At the end of the day, a pagan who never grumbles is in worse eternal shape that a Christian who grumbles often.

So the point is not to just eliminate grumbling in the world.

Sanctification, which is holiness is the goal, that should be our greatest ambition in life.

We pour ourselves into a lot of things, what are some of the more common ambitions in the secular world?

For some the most important part of their life is how much money they make.

For others is it prestige that drives them.

There are many idols that drive the heart of people.

But for us, our greatest desire, our grandest ambition should be to be Holy as YHWH is holy.

That is the point of this verse.

Do you have that ambition in your life, is this what you want more than anything else?

It is really a contrast to grumbling.

If you are seeking to be more and more like Christ, then you will embrace those opportunities that confront you.

The key here is to understand a simple concept, becoming.

The verb in this verse is in the subjunctive mood which indicates a possible action.

The idea is “to be” or “to become”

In other words, the verb describes a process.

To fully understand this we need to revisit the idea of grumbling.

When we grumble about a circumstance, what are we saying about ourselves?

I know better, I am smarter, I have a better plan.

In taking that path, we stagnate spiritual growth.

Spiritual growth only comes to those who in humility are teachable.

The humble realize they do not have all the answers.

The proud are unteachable because they have all the answers.

When we embrace the idea that God is bringing test upon test into our lives for the purpose of our sanctification, then we can grow.

Growth here is determined and described by 4 terms.

First is blameless.

It is important that we grasp the simple truth that you have been declared righteous and are therefore blameless, in position.

Positionally you are righteous and blameless before God because you are in Christ and have the imputed righteousness of Christ.

On the one hand this is how God sees you, through the lens of Christ.

This is why God’s word describes you as having been sanctified.

But, in practice, in our daily living, we do not always act blameless.

Thus there is the need to work out our sanctification on a daily basis.

YHWH is at work in us, changing us, transforming us, so that our daily practice becomes the same as our position.

To say it another way, so that we learn to act like the child of God we are.

From God’s perspective, we have been declared righteous, now He wants us to act like it.

Which is why we are to work out our salvation and why He is at work in us.

The goal is that our daily practical lives be blameless.

The idea is that of being innocent of a crime against God, ie sin.

Second is the word innocent.

I don’t know why the translators chose innocent, it works, but there are better words.

The Greek literally means to be unmixed or uncontaminated.

In this case the idea is to be untainted with sin.

Pure would be the best way to translate this Greek word.

Of course those who are pure, are also innocent so you can see how they arrived at their translation.

I like pure, because it fits the simplest meaning of the word.

It is like that brownie story.

A teenage boy wants to go to an R rated movie and he argues it only has a little bit of bad language in it and just a little bit of gory stuff.

Dad says no and the boy gets mad because it is mainly good with just a little bit of bad stuff mixed in, just a tiny bit.

So day makes the boy some brownies for a treat.

But before the boy take a bite, the dad informs him that the brownies have just a tiny bit of dog poop mixed in, just a tiny bit.

In fact, most of the ingredients are good stuff, so it should be a big deal.

Do you think the boy ate the brownie?

No, point was well made.

YHWH is not satisfied with a mostly holy life, the command it be holy in the very way He is holy, perfection, purity.

Thus that too should be our ambition, to be pure.

Third, our ambition should aim at without blemish.

Blemish describes a moral defect.

We all have them, sin is a blemish.

Remember the sacrificial animals had to be without physical blemish why?

This was a symbol of being morally free of blemishes.

More importantly they were pictures of Jesus Christ and His moral perfections.

Again, this reminds us what our sanctification is really all about, being Christ like.

We are to be a contrast to the world.

You will like this, the world is scoliosis, crooked.

We get our English word scoliosis from this Greek word.

It means curved, crooked, not straight.

It has a similar meaning to sin, to miss the mark.

The point is, something is off, out of align.

This describes the world, but should not describe Christ’s church.

Next the world is perverse.

This word literally means to turn away.

A great illustration of this is found in Genesis 4, Cain went out from the presence of the Lord.

Cain turned away from YHWH.

Cain turned to sin and unrighteousness.

Cain is a picture of the world.

As Isaiah wrote, Is 53:6

Isaiah 53:6 NASB95

All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.

This is an apt description of the world we live in.

Which brings us to the fourth characteristic.

Fourth, we are to be lights in the world.

Lights in those days were for the most part oil lamps, how is an oil lamp a picture of sanctification?

As Jesus said, let your light shine.

As a light we illuminate truth.

As such we show that which is right and that which is wrong.

And to a large extent, that demonstrates sanctification.

But that light has to be carefully maintained.

We have to work out our sanctification.

We have to work at obedience, we have to work at doing the right thing.

And when we do, the world sees a different kind of person.

Just as the world saw holiness in Christ, they are to see holiness in us.

That is what it means to appear as lights in the world.

Fifth, we accomplish this by holding fast the word of life.

This is a very simple axiom, sanctification depends upon holding fast to the word of God.

Read Romans 12:2 and explain how it pertains to holding fast the word of life?

It is the word of God that renews our mind so that our lives can be transformed.

It is the word of God that unveils the will of God for us.

And to say it another way, sanctification is a fancy way to say obedience to the word of God.

So to put this portion is perspective, remember we are to do all things without grumbling, so that…..

So that our sanctification can move forward in the manner we have just outlined.

And next we see something really strange, a purpose clause stacked upon a purpose clause.

All of this so that our spiritual leaders might be filled with joy.

PURSUE SANCTIFICATION FOR THE RIGHT AFTERMATH

The right aftermath here is a happy spiritual leader, ie pastor.

Think of it this way, happy pastor happy church.

“Reason to glory” threw me off a bit until I dug into the meaning of this Greek word.

The idea is legitimate pride.

We all know that YHWH is opposed to the proud.

So this seems a bit off, until you consider that it is YHWH who is making this happen in their lives through you.

It isn’t that Paul is proud of himself, rather he is proud that the outcome would be positive.

Paul uses three illustrations to describe ministry that impacts others.

First, ministry is like running a long distance race.

What is involved in long distance running that is also true of ministry?

Long distance runners must train for a long time.

They start off running a short distance every day.

And then every few days they add to the distance they run.

After a few months, they are ready to run that 10K, and after many months they are ready to run that marathon.

Likewise, ministry requires that same kind of long term training.

In the world of theology we call it building line upon line and brick upon brick.

You begin at an elementary level and continually aim high pushing the student to learn and grow more and more.

Long distance runners are careful about their diet.

They eat the right kind of foods to promote overall health and strength.

Likewise, the Bible teacher doesn’t just teach, but he teaches that which the students needs most.

Over the years I began to notice how easy it is for us to get focused on the wrong things in Bible study.

Some teachers spend all their time focused on the end times.

Some teachers spend all their time focused on Biblical characters like David or Abram.

The truth is, we should be focused on Jesus Christ.

I think this is why John’s gospel has been such a blessing.

It is easy to stay focused on Jesus in John’s gospel because John structured it that way.

His goal was that we believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and so John structured his gospel to focus on Jesus as the Son of God.

Wes said it this way once, teach your text and then run as fast as you can to the cross.

And that is so true.

Because basically, even the epistles take us to the cross in one way or another because they explain Christ.

Last, runners run.

That seems axiomatic and it is, but it needs to be stated.

An axiom is a self evident truth.

It is self evident that in order to run long distances you have to run.

Likewise, we have to put into practice the truths that we learn.

The knowledge we hold in our head must in some way make it to our hands and our feet.

When the church puts into practice what they are taught, that brings great joy to the pastor.

The bottom line is nobody likes to teach and see nothing happen.The apostle illustrates that with the word kenosis, the same word used of Jesus to empty Himself. So what is Paul saying about his teaching ministry?

Vain literally means to be worthless or empty.

It comes from the same root word we examined with regard to Christ who emptied Himself, the kenosis.

Nobody wants their teaching to amount to nothing to be empty.

All teachers teach with purpose, hopefully too see the lost saved, and or the saved sanctified.

That is what the teaching ministry is all about.

The next illustration is very similar to running, it is work.

So I don’t want to beat that same drum again.

But we do need to recognize that ministry is and should be work.

Paul worked hard at ministry.

He traveled long distances, worked a job making tents during the day so not to be a burden to anybody.

He reasoned with, strived with, argued with those who opposed the gospel.

For those who embraced the truth Paul taught as a gentle father would teach.

But even that requires work.

Ministry is work.

And we all like to see our work accomplish something.

Nobody want to work and see nothing accomplished.

Work is fulfilling when it accomplishes the goals of that work.

And that brings joy in ministry.

Last, Paul uses an Old Testament illustration, poured out as a drink offering.

What was a drink offering? And how does that apply to Paul and his ministry?

In the ceremonial law wine or water was poured out during the acts of Temple worship.

They were viewed as a form of sacrifice in that they were poured out unto God.

I hate to say it this way, but the idea is that the water and the wine was sacrificed in that it wasn’t of benefit to you.

It was set apart for and poured unto God.

So in a sense it was a sacrifice just like the lambs, bulls, and goats.

But the intention here is much more profound than that because Paul is saying that a life in service to God is a sacrifice.

And the idea is this, eventually the cup is empty.

Likewise, eventually Paul will give his life for the sake of Christ.

When that axe falls and separates Paul’s head from his shoulders, the cup of Paul’s drink offering will be empty.

But we mustn’t miss this next point, it was also in service of the church.

Over the years I have heard many scholars point out that Paul may well have been the greatest Christian of all time.

And here we see why.

Read Mark 12:30-31, explain how or how not Paul exemplified this passage in his life? (focus on vs 17)

First, the apostle demonstrates his great love for God.

I see in Paul the fulfillment of the greatest commandment, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

Thus Paul was willing to offer his life to God as a living sacrifice.

Like Jesus, Paul went where the Spirit led, and spoke what the Spirit inspired.

He dedicated his entire life to serving God.

Second, we see the apostle fulfilling the second half of the greatest commandment, loving your neighbor.

This is found in those word “service of your faith”.

Paul ministered to the Philippians with the goal of increasing their faith.

Faith really is very important and it is at least two dimensional.

First faith is required for salvation, we know and understand that.

But that is not the end of faith.

Second, the just shall live by faith.

Every aspect of our life is to be lived out in faith.

All those who have been justified by faith, are to live out their life in faith.

Therefore, it should be a goal of every teacher to inspire faith in their audience, their class, or their church.

A teacher inspires faith by teaching every aspect of the word of God.

It begins with doctrine.

For example, on Wednesday night a week ago I spent a good deal of time teaching the great blessings of the cross.

Those are the foundation of our faith, they build our faith.

Let me show you how Jesus did it.

Read Luke 24:13-35. Take note of the deficiency and how Jesus corrected it? What was the deficiency, and how did Jesus go about correcting it?

Luke 24:25 demonstrates the deficiency.

Luke 24:25 NASB95

And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!

Those two men lacked faith in what they had heard about the resurrection.

Now look at verse 27, Jesus taught them doctrine concerning Himself from the OT.

That is how you build up faith.

You built faith by teaching truth.

The life in Christ begins with faith, and continues in faith.

Obedience really is the product of faith.

Service is the product of faith.

CONCLUSION

When it all comes together the way it is supposed to, joy is the product.

Paul rejoiced knowing the church was growing in faith.

The church should rejoice, knowing they are growing in faith.

And, God is pleased.

So in conclusion, as life hits us with so many difficulties, rather than grumble and complain, we are to face them with the attitude that God is doing a good work in us.

Therefore embrace even the unpleasing aspects of life, as well as that which is pleasing.

For God is at work in you to will and to do for His good pleasure.