The Confessions of a Grumbler

Introduction

Hi, my name is Cody, and I’m a grumbler. I don’t want to be a grumbler or to be known as a grumbler, but, man, I can turn negative on something quick. I’m the first one to admit to you that when my idea gets turned down for another idea, that there’s this part of me that pulls for the other idea to bomb. When others don’t respond like I think they should, it’s a real impulse for me to complain about that person and to lower my opinion of that person. When my life doesn’t go the way that I think it should, I find myself even beginning to impugn the very character of God and question his motives. For instance, a few weeks ago, I woke up, and I couldn’t sit up in bed. My back has just been killing me. And, I find out this week that I have both a bulging disc and a slipped disc, and, immediately, instinctively my question is: God, how in the world could you? How could you let this happen to me? Is this because of something that I’ve done, or are you just wanting my family to suffer to make some point? Immediately, I just begin to grumble and question God.

And, I never feel better after grumbling. Grumbling doesn’t move me closer to joy; grumbling moves me deeper into misery and frustration. Grumbling brings division between my church and me, my friends and me, my God and me. Few things will destroy the unity and joy of a church like grumbling will, and we’re going to learn from Paul today how we can move away from grumbling and toward unity and joy in our church family.

God’s Word

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Grumbling Opposes the Gospel

v. 14 “Do all things without grumbling or disputing.” Having just told us to ‘work out (our) salvation with fear and trembling’ to grow and mature in Christ, Paul then gives us a specific application as to what that should look like. The concern here is that the church ‘live in a manner worthy of the gospel’ by ‘being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.’ So, it’s to live out the gospel in such a way as to create unity of heart and mission in the church. And, I love how real Paul is about it. He says, “And, if you’re living out the gospel, if you’re contributing to the unity of the church, you won’t be grumbling.” Now, there’s some real talk for us. Grumbling is never worthy of the gospel. Grumbling is the opposite of grace. Grumbling is entitlement and resentment and selfishness. It’s attempting to build a coalition to agree with my opinion and my thoughts so that it will ultimately go my way. It’s deciding that if I can’t have it my way, then no one is going to enjoy it any other way. Grumbling reveals a heart that trusts itself too “much” and others too “little”. Grumbling aims to discredit others so that you appear smarter and more able. Grumbling takes the attention of Christ and his Kingdom by diverting attention to ourselves so that we might feel better and we might feel more valued. So, if the gospel calls to admit our weakness and to value others ahead of ourselves and to live Christ’s glory alone by Christ’s sufficiency alone, then grumbling is the opposite of the gospel in every way.

Grumbling is Unbelief

For the Philippians, this would have brought an image into their minds of Israel in the wilderness from . In their greek OT, this same word “grumbling” or “murmuring” was used to describe Israel’s reaction to Moses and to God himself. And, it’s a profound picture for us to consider. In , God has just parted the Red Sea by using Moses and delivered his weak, defenseless people from the greatest military power on earth. My goodness, if there’s ever been an opportunity for revival, it’s here, right? They’ve just witnessed the power of God so miraculously that we still have people trying to write books to rationalize it. Well, they walk three days into the Wilderness from the Red Sea, and they haven’t found good water. The water they’ve found is bitter, and it says, “And the people grumbled against Moses.” Now, Moses is just a servant of God. So, it’s understood that this is a complaining about Moses, but even more profoundly, it’s a complaining about God. God miraculously provides and has Moses throw a log into the bitter water, and it turns sweet. So, you’re thinking that Moses has to be like, “Alright, guys, you can see that God’s going to take care of us now. EXCEPT, that the very next thing we read in is “And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.” Now, they weren’t thirsty, but they were hungry. They wanted to go back to slavery so they could know where their food was coming from.

So, there’s division, right? Their ‘grumbling’ brought division between them and their leaders. Their ‘grumbling’ forced their neighbors to choose whose side they would on. Their ‘grumbling’ brought division between them and God. That’s the progression that he’s talking about when he adds ‘disputing’ or ‘questioning.’ Grumbling leads to ‘disputing’ with your neighbor and ‘questioning’ God’s character. It’s the type of questioning that assumes the worst about the one that you’re grumbling against. It’s not loving them well. You see, they saw God part the Red Sea, but they still weren’t sure that God was good enough to give them water to drink. God gave them water to drink, but they still weren’t sure that God was good enough to give them food to eat. So, they wanted to take matters in their own hands. Their grumbling was the result of them not getting what they wanted, the way they wanted it, when they wanted to get it. Their grumbling was unbelief. It was a lack of confidence and trust in the character of God. At the heart of grumbling is a spirit of “self-reliance”. It’s to trust your opinion most, your desires most, and to prioritize your preferences most. It’s to forsake the good of others and to deny the goodness of God.

They saw God in the Red Sea, and they

Grumbling or the Gospel?

APPLICATION: What comes spilling out of you when you don’t get what you want the way that you want it and when you want it? Do you spill out grumbling or the gospel? Do you spill over with the need to be proven right and the need to validated? Do you spill over with taking matters into your own hands by eroding the reputation of others and impugning the character of God? Or, do you spill out the gospel? Do you spill out love for your brother and deference to the wisdom of others? Do you spill out trust that God is over all things and working all things to his glorious ends? What comes spilling out of you, grumbling or the gospel, because it can only be one or the other?

Stand “Out”

v. 15 “that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation” So, the way this text lays out is really for us to see that the main point is that we don’t grumble. It’s stated firmly and in the negative, but Paul never stays negative. In verse 15, he shifts to the positive way of saying the very same thing. If grumbling divides us from one another and from God, verses 15-18 are what unifies us with one another and with God. In other words, they are the alternatives to grumbling (headline for the remaining). They are what it looks like for us to spill out the gospel in our lives. First, you should stand “out.” Verse 15 is about contrasts, isn’t it? Will you live like the blameless or the condemned? Will you live as a child of God or a child of this generation? Will you stand out as a light or blend in with the dark? Here there’s another allusion to OT Israel. Listen to what it says in about God’s people, Israel: “They have dealt corruptly with him; they are no longer his children because they are blemished; they are a crooked and twisted generation.” Sound familiar? You see, God had chosen Israel to be his children. And, He did not disown them; they disowned him. They saw the apparent prosperity of the pagan nations around them, and they chose to blend in with them. They were envious of the world even though they possessed the Treasure the world was longing for. They were blemished. God had set them apart to be a light in the midst of darkness, a city situated upon a hill, and they chose to cover the light and lower the city rather than taking up their post as a lighthouse in the midst of stormy world.

They have dealt corruptly with him;

they are no longer his children because they are blemished;

v. 15b “among whom you shine as lights of the world” So, the call here is for you to stand out. This generation is walking through the dark; so, stand out like a light. Don’t be like the world; be hope for the world. But, there’s a particular way that Paul has in mind for us to stand out. Remember that he’s talking about unity among believers. He’s talking about standing in the fox hole together willfully and joyfully to the very end. You see, when he says to ‘be blameless and innocent’ as the children of God, he’s calling into our minds obedience to the Law. This is the work that Christ came to accomplish. He came to write the Law on the tablet of your heart so that you would be accepted as blameless before God and then walk blameless before men. ‘Blameless’ refers to outward works, and ‘innocent’ refers to inward motives. And, this is how we stand out. We stand out because we “live” differently than the world because we “love” differently than the world. That’s the point. All of the commandments of the Law hang on these two commands: Love God and love one another. So, obey God because you love God. Because you’re his child. Don’t grumble because your Father always comes through. Love each other as much as you love yourself. So, love their preferences and their opinions and their feelings as much as you love your own preferences and opinions and feelings. Don’t grumble because you’re happy if the ones you love are able to be ministered to.

they are a crooked and twisted generation.

Stand Out with Love

APPLICATION: Don’t grumble; stand out by the way that you “love”. Pierce the darkness of this backstabbing, self-advancing, disloyal generation with the light of unity and self-sacrifice and the celebration of others. In a self-obsessed world, stand out by loving others. In an outraged generation, stand out by not taking offense. In an era where church disappointment becomes Facebook gossip, stand out by building up and celebrating your church family. Do your words stand out as someone who is loving others well, or do they blend in with the same ungenerous, unkind tone as the world? Are you spilling out grumbling or the gospel?

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Stand “Firm.”

v. 16 “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 second alternative to grumbling is to stand “firm”. In verse 16, he’s really continuing the thought of verse 15. We are to be blameless and innocent as children of God, we are to stand out as lights shining in the midst of darkness BY ‘holding fast to the word of life.’ Verse 15 is both how we stand out and the intended effect of us standing out. Do you know why Christians and churches let go of God’s word? Christians and churches let go of God’s word because it looks like it will be better for them. Over the last 150 years, the question that has just rocked the church’s world is how do you reach ‘enlightened’ people? How do you reach people that ‘know’ the earth wasn’t created in an instant or know that virgins don’t really give birth? So, slowly and progressively, many have found ways to slowly erode orthodox Christianity for something that really ends up being a different religion altogether. And, their reasoning for doing it all was so that they would be more relevant to an ‘enlightened’ world. And, do you know what’s happened? At the same speed with which they’ve sought to loosen their grip on the word of God, they’ve died. How many Christians have tried to loosen their grip on the word of God and toe a line of sexual infidelity with a living faith or by accepting Jesus’ teachings on everything but money? How many have tried to loosen their grip on the word of God to accommodate their political aspirations or to wipe a commitment to the local church from their lives? And, what have they found? Their faith withers and dies. The word of “God” is the word of “life”. God breathed his very heart into his word that his word might breathe life into us. Our life in Christ is sustained by the word of life. Our life as a church is sustained by the word of life. Our offer of life to the world is given authority by the word of life. To loosen our grip is to move toward death.

APPLICATION: The world needs “salvation”, not “speculation”. Our unity is anchored down by a gospel that saves, not by a word that changes. says: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” If we are blown to and fro by every wind of doctrine that comes through, we’ll capsize and die. If we build our house on the sandy foundation of modern philosophies and sensibilities, the rain of this world will quickly wash us out. If we are to live, we must stand firm. If we are to offer hope to the world, we must stand firm. If we are to have anything worth saying to say, we must stand firm. If we are to be united in mission rather than divided in speculation, we must stand firm! This is what Paul says is the validation of his ministry. This is what Paul says proves the staying power of the church until the day of Christ. Did they stand firm? So, stop loosening your grip where its convenient. Stop loosening your grip to accommodate your lifestyle. Stop loosening your grip to justify your foolishness. Stand firm, and see the very breath of God blow against your sails. Stand firm, and eliminate the speculative grumbling. Grumbling is contagious, but so is faithfulness.

Stand “Up.”

v. 17 “Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith.” And, that lands us on the final alternative to grumbling which is to stand “up”. In one of his novels, James Patterson wrote, “Lay down, and you’ll be run over. Stand up, and you’ll be shot at.” And, this has been the experience of Christians across every generation. Here, Paul is telling this church that not only do they stand with one another, but they stand with him. And, he stands with them. He’s encouraging them in the struggle. He’s using the picture of the sacrificial system here. The priest would offer up the sacrifice. Once it was burned up, they would take wine and pour out on the ground around the sacrifice as a drink offering to show that it was complete. The drink offering was a lesser offering than that animal sacrifice, but it was done to show that it was complete. The point is that the Philippians are the priests that offered themselves as living sacrifices. They have stood up for Paul and supported his ministry. They have stood up for the truth in the midst of a crooked and depraved generation, and it’s been difficult. They have stood up for one another, but there have been divisions. And, from prison, Paul says, “The sacrifices of my life stand with you, lowly as they are. Your sacrifice is greater for the good of the mission, but I’m thankful to play a small part.” Their sacrifice has brought Paul joy, and he wants his sacrifice to bring them joy.

APPLICATION: You see, you can’t fight “with” one another if you’re fighting “for” one another. The antidote to grumbling is to celebrate the sacrifices of another. The inspiration for standing up is to see the one standing up beside you. For we are a people that was brought together because Christ stood up for us. Christ lowered himself before the Father that He might stand up in our place. He sacrificed himself for our joy, and in the sacrifice of his church, we see a glimpse of Christ himself. So as Paul and as the Philippians and, ultimately, as Christ, don’t just stand up for your own joy. Stand up for a mutual joy. Stand up for the people beside you that they might find joy. Sacrifice that they might be built up. And, if you are sacrificing for them to have joy, you surely won’t have occasion to tear them down.