Shining Lights in A Dark World-2
Shining Lights In A Dark World • Sermon • Submitted
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Not Grumbling or Disputing
Text: Philippians 2:14-16
Thank you for being here on this first Sunday of the new year!
Each year the New Year gives us an opportunity to restart the calendar.
But I really hope the new year is more than that.
That it is a time to reevaluate our priorities and realign our lives with God’s will.
Let’s use the new year as an opportunity to Restart our approach to how we deal with the events and challenges in our lives.
To live as the Word of God commands us so that we can be God’s light in the devil’s darkness.
As I urged us last week — let us shine the Light of the Gospel into the darkness of this present age.
Be assured that the enemy of the Light, satan, will do everything he can to extinguish our light,
He will bombard our lives events and challenges to get us to take our eyes off Jesus.
I will tell you right now that I have some understanding of what it means to face adverse events (at least that is how I understand them) and challenges.
Pastors are not strangers to challenges in our lives.
In fact, I and my family have faced a few in the past couple of years.
And we are facing a few right now.
There’s just nothing quite like having your life turned upside down.
Friday afternoon at our New Year’s Eve Fellowship I was talking to Diane Shaffer’s daughter Jody Walker.
I was talking about her and her mom’s plans to soon move back to Florida.
She said she thought the move would give her and her mom some stability and calm in their lives.
She was looking forward to that!
I said, “Sister Jody, you know better than that! You know from experience that life is always in a constant state of upheaval.”
In her life Jody has faced cancer, an inability to have children, the adoption of 2 boys who have presented their own challenges (as all children do), her husband just died a few years ago, her father and other inlaws just died a few months ago. She started a new career as a nurse during a pandemic.
Yeah, just a walk in the park!
But I do understand what she longs for.
Like her I would LOVE to experience some stability and calm in my life.
Wouldn’t you?
I’m just afraid that any long-term stability and calm are unavailable on this side of eternity.
On this side of eternity we experience constant change and continual chaos.
My opinion is that if such things as stability and calm occur in our life at all they are only for brief periods and then they evaporate.
That’s been my experience — maybe your life has been one long unbroken stretch of stability and calm.
If so, you should definitely be down on your knees thanking God.
So, what if your life isn’t all peachy-keen calm and cool?
How do we deal with disappointments?
Health crises?
Family drama?
The death of a loved one?
The loss of a job?
Retirement can be stressful (but I’m sure Sister Patty will learn to cope — that’s what her daughter Terri is there to help with!).
Every day, life presents us with fresh opportunities wrapped in the disguise of challenges or difficulties.
Writing from prison, and yet somehow, writing with joy, writing under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul tells us how to live our lives in our text (AMP 2015):
Philippians 2:14-18 Do everything without murmuring or questioning [the providence of God], 15 so that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish in the midst of a [morally] crooked and [spiritually] perverted generation, among whom you are seen as bright lights [beacons shining out clearly] in the world [of darkness], 16 [holding onto AND] holding out and offering to everyone the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to rejoice greatly because I did not run [my race] in vain nor labor without result. 17 But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith [for preaching the message of salvation], still I rejoice and share my joy with you all. 18 You too, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.
It is that first verse that I want us to consider this morning:
Do everything without murmuring or questioning [the providence of God],
So short!
So easy to understand!
And yet, so difficult to live!
Prayer
Not Complaining
Not Complaining
First of all the Apostle Paul tells us not to complain or as the word is translated in the KJV — do not murmur.
This is a very serious problem!
As I said last week, I believe complaining is the national past time for those who live in this country.
We are a nation of complainers.
But, scripture tells us very clearly that complaining or murmuring will bring the judgment of God.
Turn with me to 1 Cor 10
Read with me what verses 1-5 say as they talk about ancient Israel in:
1 Corinthians 10:1–5 (NLT) I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. 2 In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. 3 All of them ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
These were people given so many blessings!
As it says:
They were guided by a supernatural column
Smoke by day
Fire by night
They were delivered from Egypt’s armies when God supernaturally divided the Red Sea and let them walk across on dry ground
Through these and other divine interventions they were “baptized” into relationship with God
God gave them supernatural food
Not just manna 6 days a week (with the 6th day being enough for 2 days) but the living Brad of God’s Word, teachings on how to live - the Torah, the Law
As Jesus told the devil when Jesus was tempted:
3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ”
God gave Israel His Word while they were in the most unlikely place for instruction in holy living — in the wilderness.
He will do the same for us.
This year we may be going through tough things, tough times — but IF WE WILL LISTEN, He will give us spiritual bread that will feed our souls.
Tuesday morning during prayer I walked by this Bible on the Communion Table: God gave me Psalm 119:71
71 It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes.
So, don’t discount tough times. During such times we seem to hear God the best.
Israel was blessed as God gave them physical AND supernatural water:
When Moses struck the rock and water poured out
That water symbolized the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
The people were blessed in so many ways.
But God was displeased with MOST of them.
Why was God displeased with MOST of them so that their bodies were scattered in the wilderness?
God tells us in vs. 6-11
Because, among other things, they murmured, grumbled, complained — the questioned God’s ways and and God’s plans.
6 Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play.” 8 Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. 9 Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. 10 Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
God hates murmuring and complaining.
He hates for us to fret — to worry about, to be annoyed about, to complain about ...
The things we think are unfair.
On Tuesday the Lord led me to that idea presented in:
1 Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. 8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
So God has a mandate for us in 2022 — stop grumbling, stoop complaining, stop murmuring.
Instead do what:
16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Not Arguing With or Questioning God
Not Arguing With or Questioning God
Not only did Israel murmur against God, they questioned His providential care.
When Israel heard the report from 10 of the 12 spies about the land God was giving them, scripture says:
2 All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! 3 “Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”
Vs. 3 - Why is the Lord ...
They questioned God.
They questioned His deliverance, His provision, His plans for the future.
they doubted what God told them in:
11 ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 12 ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
They didn’t just doubt what Caleb and Joshua said, they wanted to stone them!
6 Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 “If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land which flows with milk and honey. 9 “Only do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” 10 But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel.
How did God respond to this doubt?
Not only did His glory shine in the faith expressed by Joshua and Caleb ...
11 The Lord said to Moses, “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? 12 “I will smite them with pestilence and dispossess them, and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they.”
God saw their heart.
In spite of everything, all the signs and wonders, all the miracles, the people refused to believe.
How many times are WE like that?
God does signs and wonder and miracles in our life and we have the audacity to doubt His love for us.
His compassion for us.
His provision for us.
We doubt He is Jehovah Jireh — the God who provides.
And that doubt brings,as the KJV says it, a reproach upon God.
If WE who have been forgiven our sins, by the Blood of Jesus think of God this way — why would those who are watching our lives want to put their trust in Him?
God calls us to TRUST Him.
To what the hymn says that we sang a few minutes ago — to live by faith.
Not questioning God’s providential care!
Trusting in Jesus.
It is hard! But it CAN be done!
It is hard! But it CAN be done!
It is hard!
But it CAN be done.
Let me illustrate wit the lives of common people:
Illustration: Wednesday, Sandra and I went to the Blairsville Restaurant. Cafeteria server, older, working hard says: This is a beautiful day (even though it was rainy, unseasonable warm, etc.).
Illustration: Deborah Spiva. Pleading the Blood over her family concerning covid. So thankful God gave His Son’s Blood as a hedge against the enemy for our sons and daughters. In 48 years of Christianity it never registered as strongly that God gave His Son’s blood for my son.
Will YOU Trust Jesus?
Will YOU Trust Jesus?
So, will YOU trust Jesus in 2022?
Instead of complaining and questioning, will we trust God in 2022 and beyond?
Hasn’t He taught us we can trust Him?
First and foremost, trust Jesus for salvation.
Turn to Jesus in repentance and surrender.
Recommit your life to Him right now.
Restart your faith, right now.
If you have trusted in Jesus contact me so I can help you with the next steps.
Contact us!
New Life Family Church
167 Wesley Mountain Drive
Blairsville, GA 30512
Call or Text: 706-781-6142
www.NewLifeBlairsville.org
info@NewLifeBlairsville.org
facebook.com/NewLifeBlairsville