Rejecting Grumbling

Announcements

Can someone pass out the prayer request slips?

Worlds of Fun!

THIS Saturday!

We have lunch. We have tickets. we have everything ready to go!!!

We are leaving the church at 9:30am on Saturday. Please Please Please do not me late!

We will be divided into groups, but do you remember what I said about groups before now?

Well throw all of it out! Because there was a chaperone shuffle and I needed to reshape all of it

So you will find out what group you are in and exactly what those look like… the day of

Are there any questions about the Worlds of Fun trip?

Who remembers what is happening NEXT Saturday?

On Saturday the 19th, we have a movie night at 8:30 in the evening!

It will be a fun time, we’ll be watching the Prince of Egypt

The reason it is so late is because we are needing the sun to set just a little bit before we can start

It will probably end at 10:15-10:30pm

Bring something to sit on. A blanket, towel, chair…

Any questions about that?

Next Thursday, the 17th, who remembers what is happening?

Flour wars!

It’s gonna be a great time. I have never done this before so I am really excited to do this with yall

Wear black and bring a towel so that you don’t mess up your parent’s car!

Finally, Thursday the 24th there is NO YOUTH GROUP

That is VBS and this place is going to have like 150 people here making that happen

And I will be busy and exhausted, half of you are helping, so there just isn’t a way to make that happen

Any prayer requests?

Prayer

Intro

Would you guys agree with me that there are some sins that people take more seriously than others?

What are some of those sins that people take really seriously?

What are some people think are really no big deal?

One of the sins that people usually don’t think is a big deal is grumbling and complaining

usually we don’t even think about it as we grumble and complain

But Scripture talks about this A LOT!

These verses are not on your handout, but just listen as I read a few that talk about grumbling

James 5:9 ESV

Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

1 Peter 4:9 ESV

Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.

Numbers 14:27 ESV

“How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me.

God cares about grumbling A LOT!

Even though we don’t notice it, it really matters to God!

Our passage today, Philippians 2:14-16 is all about grumbling

Philippians 2:14–16 commands believers to reject grumbling and provides three reasons for doing so: for your sanctification, your witness, and your teacher’s encouragement.

Read Text

Philippians 2:14–16 ESV

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.

The Simple Command (v14)

In PE have you ever had to do a plank?

You all know what a plank is right?

The instructions are simple: keep your body straight, elbows under your shoulders, tighten your core. That’s about it.

But as you know, if you’ve ever done a plank, that simple command is not easy to follow

After only a short while you start to shake a little bit, you feel the burn throughout your arms and core, and before you know it you can no longer hold yourself up

The simple and clear command is immensely easy to understand, but so very difficult to follow

These verses begin with one of the clearest commands of the entire book

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing”

That is not complicated. We will look at what each of those things mean, but you can read that without hardly any prior knowledge and understand essentially what the command is saying

But simple doesn’t always mean easy.

Throughout history the people of God have found themselves violating this command time and time again

Who can think of a VERY famous example in the Bible of God’s people grumbling?

The Israelites as they left Egypt

First, God frees them from Egypt

Then five minutes later they turn around and worship a golden calf

God gets their attention and they worship Him and weep over their sin

then five minutes later they are complaining because the water God gave them was bitter

Reprimanded by God they are given sweet water

Then they immediately complain because they think they don’t have enough food

God gives them food and leads them to the border of the promised land

And all that they can do is complain about how hard it will be to conquer the land

No matter what God did, all they did was grumble and complain

Grumbling is not only about the words that we say, it is a matter of the heart

It is muttering complaints against God, being discontentment with Him and essentially believing that God has made a mistake and you know better than Him

Disputing is the external action of a grumbling heart

It leads to arguments and division, insisting that you are the one who knows best and that you are the one who decides right from wrong

Christians are to live lives that are free from grumbling hearts and disputing lips

Do ALL THINGS without grumbling or disputing

Everything we do: school, sports, chores…

All things are to be done without grumbling or disputing

Like Christ, we must humble ourselves to accept the will and plans of the Father in all things

Why does this command matter?

Because Scripture NEVER endorses the idea of “venting” or “getting something off my chest”

If someone has sinned against you, go and tell them and seek reconciliation

And if there is no clear sin, then in love for the other person pass over the fault and seek the good of the other person

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 ESV

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

To be a people marked by love means that our hearts don’t get bent out of shape when things don’t go our way

When people sin against us or things simply don’t work, we can continue to be joyful people because we love others and we love the will of God more than our own desires and expectations

And yet Paul doesn’t just give us an empty command, he gives three reasons to obey the command

Reason 1: Your Holiness (v15a)

The first and primary reason for us to avoid grumbling is for our own sanctification

Grumbling is primarily a matter of the heart

Like I already said, grumbling is what happens when you are discontent with God

If we are to live in a way that our passage describes as “blameless and innocent” then we need to have a heart that reflects God

Why do you think is the heart so important in this?

Luke 6:45 ESV

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

If you find yourself filled with grumbling and complaining, it is because in your heart you think that you are a better decision maker than God

grumbling and complaining reveals what is already sitting under the surface of your heart and is a warning sign to check under the hood

To be innocent and blameless, to produce good fruit and uplifting speech, means that there is no hidden or known fault within us

All of us have many faults.

We are full of them

each of us sin and in our sin we are the opposite of innocent and blameless

The only way for us to be like this, to be totally pure, is through the work of the Spirit

Only God can make us pure, innocent and blameless

And he does this as we depend upon the blood of Christ

When the Spirit works within us, He gives us a new heart

A heart that loves and seeks after God

And with that, a heart that is less inclined to grumble and complain, but rather to rejoice in God at all times

Those who trust in Christ and adore God are not marked their complaints, but by their patient and peaceable living that is filled with joy

In this way we demonstrate that we are children of God

As we reflect Him in our lives

As we demonstrate pure, patient, contentment no matter what the circumstances of life are. Trusting Him in all things and at all times because He has already earned our trust through the work of Jesus Christ purchasing our souls upon the cross

To avoid grumbling makes you more like Christ and demonstrates that you are a child of God

Which leads us to our second reason

Reason 2: Your Witness (v15b-16a)

“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”

Why is it so easy to grumble?

A few reasons

Our hearts are naturally inclined to be discontent and ungrateful for the many many gifts that God has given

In our sin we frequently want more than what God has given

But another reason it is so easy is because it seems like everybody does this!

Everybody is complaining!

“This homework is too hard!” “Why does mom always cook chicken?”

“It’s too hot outside!” “Why is Tim talking for so long!?”

I think you guys probably say that a lot lol

But you see the point

If there is a reason to complain about something, people will complain about it

Everyone everywhere is constantly grumbling and complaining about something or everything

Listening to them, it is so easy to get sucked into the cycle

Now think about how refreshing it is to be around someone who sees the silver lining

Someone who isn’t constantly complaining

It’s like a breath of fresh air, like a weight is lifted to be around a generally happy person

When we as Christians begin to trust God and find contentment in Him rather than complaining, we will shine like stars to the world around us!

Do any of you read or listen to the news?

I like to keep up with the news

Actually at one point I wanted to become a politician

But if you pay attention to the news you will see headline after headline of sin, scandal, and sorrow

This world is overflowing with sin and corruption

And without Christ, the people around us are full of concern and complaints

And while the world is shaking in their boots all around us, we rest confidently and joyfully

Why? Why do Christians have joy when the world is so easy to complain about?

because we are firmly holding onto the word of life

We know the Gospel, we cling to the Gospel, we believe the Gospel, and because of the grace of the Gospel we have no reason to complain

As the world all around is grumbling and disputing

We are simply living out our faith content in the grace of Christ

We continue to live as Christians in the midst of the craziness, pointing others to Jesus for hope and security

Matthew 5:16 ESV

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

We live and act differently because Christ changes how we see the world around us

Does your life demonstrate a confident assurance in Christ?

Do you grumble and complain like the world around you, or do your words reflect contentment in Christ?

Reason 3: Your Teacher’s Encouragement (v16b)

This might be my favorite reason

A lot of you are signed up to help at VBS in a couple weeks

And you will spend that week helping younger students learn about Jesus and the Gospel

Many of them will have never heard the Gospel before

And here is something that might start to happen

As you work hard to help them see Jesus you might wonder if your words have any impact at all

That is a serious question! “Am I doing any good?”

When you teach someone it is hard to know in the moment if your words have had any impact

And when you finally see someone who has not only heard you, but who’s life is changed by what you said, that is a huge encouragement

Paul right now has a lot of reasons to be discouraged

He is in jail with no promise of release

He’s looking back on his life and asking, “was it all worth it?”

Paul is wondering if he had been faithful to what God commanded him to do

he is nervous, nervous because he will stand before God and give an account for his work and those who God gave to him

In the midst of being nervous and concerned about this, Paul looks to the Philippians

And what does he he hope to see?

To see the Philippians living innocent and blameless lives without grumbling or disputing as they hold fast to the Word of life

Growing in joy and contentment in the Lord

Shining like lights to a dead world!

Imagine a coach who has been coaching a team for a long time

And year after year they have a loosing season, but they are getting better

Imagine the joy that he would have when they begin to win!

When he sees that all of the years of work and coaching has paid off!

That is the joy that Paul feels in the Corinthians, knowing that his life was not a waste

Do you realize that there have been hundreds of generations of Christians that have passed down the Gospel for it to get to you?

Hundreds of generations have lived faithfully

Mothers and fathers have taught their children

Missionaries have left everything

People have bled and died so that one after the other the next generation would hear the Gospel

All the way up to you

Your life and your faith is a reflection of all of these generations.

When we live faithfully, we are a living testimony that the lives of all those who came before us were wasted

In Matthew 22:36-40 Jesus was asked,

Matthew 22:36–40 ESV

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

The greatest commands of Scripture are that you live a life that is not for yourself, but for others

A life that is motivated by the love of God and the love of your neighbor

When we obey those commands, we will seek to give honor to those who have spent their lives teaching us and building us up, pointing us to Jesus

A life without grumbling demonstrates that we appreciate those who have sacrificed so much for us to learn and grow in the Gospel

Conclusion

Grumbling is a major sin

We often think of it as a little thing because it is so common in the world around us

But Israel was cursed to wander for 40 years and die in the dessert because of their grumbling

It demonstrates a heart that does not truly love or trust God

As we see God clearly and love Him more, our lives will be marked with more joy, more contentment, and more peace than the world around us

We will shine like lights as we are firmly planted on Gospel of Jesus

Our lives will become a blessing to others both in and outside of the church

Avoid grumbling, and learn to be content in Christ because He will never ever fail