Message for THE LORD'S DAY MORNING, December 3, 2017 Christian Hope Church of Christ, Plymouth, North Carolina by Reggie A. Braziel, Minister TOPIC: Christian Living, Complaining, Ingratitude Do All Things Without Complaining Philippians 2:14-16 (NKJV) Illustration Entering a department store, a little old lady was startled when a band began to play and a dignified executive pinned an orchid on her dress and handed her a crisp hundred dollar bill. She was the store s millionth customer. Television cameras were focused on her as a reporter began to interview her. Tell me, asked the reporter, just what did you come here for today? The lady hesitated for a minute, then answered, I m on my way to the Complaint Department. ILLUSTRATION - Max Lucado tells of the man who came home one day and immediately his wife started complaining which led to an intense argument. Arriving at 6:30 in the evening, he spent an hour trying to make things right. Nothing worked. Finally he said, Honey, let s start over and pretend I m just getting home. He stepped outside and when he opened the door, she said, Its 7:30 at night and you re just now getting home? It was Mark Twain who said, Don't complain and talk about all your problems--80 percent of people don't care; the other 20 percent will think you deserve them. - Mark Twain *******************
As Americans, we live in a culture of whiners and complainers. We are the most blessed people on earth, and we are also among the unhappiest and most discontented people on earth. All of us complain about something some times, don't we? We may complain about the slow driver in front of us on the highway or the slow-moving line at the checkout or the slow service in the restaurant. And who among us here this morning doesn't complain from time to time about our government...or about the weather...or about the exorbitant health care cost? Chances are, most of us have already complained about something at least one time today. But then there are those who are chronic complainers. Chronic complainers gripe and complain from the time they get out of bed in the morning until the time they go to bed at night. All day long its nothing but wall-to-wall complaining. In the world of the chronic complainer nothing is ever good enough...fair enough...right enough...or satisfactory enough. Sadly, many Christians are chronic complainers. Every where they go they spread their complaints. They complain at home. They complain at work. They complain in every store they shop in and every restaurant they eat in. And yes, they even complain at Church. Whether you are a casual complainer or a chronic complainer, today's message is for each and every one of us, myself included. *********************************
Please turn with me in your Bibles to our scripture text in Philippians chapter two. And let's read verses 14-16. Philippians 2:14-16 (NKJV) 14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. In these few verses the apostle Paul gives the Philippian Christians as well as all of us three excellent reasons why we should not complain. First of all... I. We Should Not COMPLAIN In Order To OBEY God (v.14) 1. Do you remember when your kids were young and you would tell them NOT TO DO SOMETHING, and they would ask why? Do you remember how you answered? Because I said so, that's why! 2. Why shouldn't you and I complain? Because GOD said so, that's why! v.14 Do ALL things without complaining!
3. Boy, Paul has set the bar pretty high hasn't he? We would have to wear our supernatural, spiritual sneakers to jump that high, wouldn't we? - If Paul had said, Do some things without complaining that would be great. - Or if Paul had said, Its OK to complain, just try not to over do it that would be even better, wouldn't it? 4. But that's not what the command says, is it? The Lord's command says, Do ALL things without complaining. When Paul says ALL THINGS he means ALL THINGS! Do your WORK without complaining! Do your CHORES without complaining! Do your HOMEWORK without complaining! Fulfill your RESPONSIBILITIES and OBLIGATIONS without complaining! Pay your TAXES without complaining! Eat your MEALS without complaining! SERVE OTHERS without complaining! Go to CHURCH without complaining! DO ALL THINGS WITHOUT COMPLAINING!
5. To us, complaining is nothing more than an annoying or bad habit at the very worst. But in the eyes of GOD, complaining is a sin. In Numbers 11 we read where the Israelites complained in the wilderness and aroused GOD'S anger to the point that GOD set the outskirts of their campsite on fire and killed some of the Israelites. In Numbers 16 we read the account of where GOD opened up the earth and swallowed Korah and his band of 250 rebels because they had grumbled and complained against Moses' leadership. If that doesn't tell us just how seriously GOD takes this matter of complaining, I don't know what does. 6. Now what is it about complaining that makes it a sin in the eyes of GOD? Actually a multitude of sins fall under the umbrella of complaining! (A) Complaining is a sin because it is an attack on GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY. Every time you complain about your circumstances in reality you are saying, If I were God I would do things differently. You see, when we complain in essence we are demonstrating that we have forgotten that GOD IS GOD, and we're not!
(B) Complaining is a sin because it reveals a lack of TRUST in God. When you complain about the situation you are in, basically you are saying, God, I don't trust that You will ultimately use this situation to work all things together for my good. Or, God, I don't trust that You will provide all that I need to get me through this situation. Complaining reveals a lack of trust in GOD. (C) Complaining is a sin because it reveals a spirit of SELFISHNESS. That's true isn't it? When we complain, we are airing our grievances that things aren't like we want them to be. Never mind what others may want or what might be in the best interest of others, its all about what I want! Its all about me, myself, and I, and I will complain until I get what I want. (D) Complaining is a sin because it reveals a spirit of INGRATITUDE. One of the scriptures we always read during the Thanksgiving season is I Thessalonians 5:18, which says, In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. If God has commanded me to Give thanks in everything and all I do is whine, and complain, and grumble, and belly-ache, then I am sinning against God,aren't I?
Here's some food for thought... Our forefathers did without sugar until the 13th century; without coal fires until the 14th century; without battered bread until the 15th century; without potatoes until the 16th century; without coffee, tea, and soup until the 17th century; without pudding until the 18th century; without eggs, matches, and electricity until the 19th century; without canned goods until the 20th century. Now, what was it we were complaining about? Sunshine Magazine (E) Complaining is a sin because it reveals a spirit of DISCONTENT. Philippians 4:12 (NIV) I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. As God's children, you and I are to be contented people. That doesn't mean our circumstances are always going to be pleasant or to our liking. But by faith, we are to be content with where we are right now because it is where God wants us to be. And by faith, we are to be content with what we have right now, knowing that we have all that God intends for us to have. When we complain, we are sinning against GOD because we are revealing that we are discontented with our lot in life.
(F) Complaining is a sin because it ENCOURAGES a COMPLAINING spirit in others. You remember when the twelve spies came back from the Promised Land that ten of the spies spread a bad report. They complained about the giants in the land. And they complained about how they couldn't take the Promised Land and that in essence Moses had just led them on a wild goose chase through the wilderness. The complaints of those ten spies quickly spread throughout the whole Israelite camp, and they soon rebelled against Moses' leadership. And God was so angry with the complaining Israelites that He sent a plague upon those ten spies and killed every one of them, and every Israelite who was twenty years old or older when they came out of Egypt died in the wilderness without ever entering the Promised Land. The next time you start to complain about something, just remember complaining is contagious! Complaining breeds an atmosphere of rebellion, and division, and disunity. And that incites the anger of GOD. 7. Do you understand now why Paul wrote these words, Do all things without complaining or arguing? WE SHOULD NOT COMPLAIN IN ORDER TO OBEY GOD!
Secondly... II. We Should Not COMPLAIN In Order To GROW In GODLINESS (v. 14, 15a) 14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God... 1. When you were little did anyone ever tell you that drinking coffee will stunt your growth? Well, I'm reasonably certain that isn't true, but one thing that is true is that chronic complaining will stunt your spiritual growth. 2. Chronic complaining not only REVEALS one's spiritual immaturity, it RETARDS it. 3. You notice Paul refers to us as children of God. We are to be more than the children of God in name only. We are to be the children of God in our practice as well. In other words, we are supposed to live like, and act like a child of God. To be a child of GOD and to be a chronic complainer are totally incompatible! A mature child of GOD will not be a chronic complainer, and a chronic complainer is not a mature child of GOD. Those two things are a total contradiction.
4. Paul mentions two areas in which we will grow if we discipline ourselves not to complain. (A) We will become BLAMELESS (vs. 14,15a) 14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become BLAMELESS... To be blameless doesn't mean that we become perfectly sinless. We will never be perfectly sinless as long as we are in these mortal bodies. To become blameless means to practice holiness or to live our lives above reproach so that no charge or accusation against of sinfulness or wrong-doing will stick. Now, what does this have to do with complaining? If you are a chronic complainer you open yourself up to all kinds of attacks. Because if you have a reputation for being a chronic complainer, you will be labeled as: divisive...a trouble-maker...a whiner...a bully...a belly- acher...and probably a few other names that are not suitable to use in or outside the Church building. And you know what? You will not be able to change those labels people have tagged on you unless you do one thing: STOP COMPLAINING! Paul mentions another way in which we will grow if we discipline ourselves NOT to complain, and that is... (NEXT PAGE)
(B) We will become HARMLESS (vs. 14,15a) 14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and HARMLESS, children of God... If you are a chronic complainer, there is a real good chance you have caused a lot of hurt and harm and misery over the course of your lifetime; perhaps more than you will ever know. Chronic complainers do great harm everywhere they go! Chronic complainers cause harm in the classroom at school...they cause harm on every athletic team they play on...they cause harm every place they work...they cause harm in every club or organization they belong to...and they cause harm in every Church they become a member of. When we grow and mature as children of GOD we don't want to be the source of harm, we want to be the source of healing. And in order to accomplish that we must STOP COMPLAIN- ING. We Should Not COMPLAIN In Order To OBEY God We Should Not COMPLAIN In Order To GROW In GODLINESS
And thirdly, Paul tells us... III. We Should Not COMPLAIN In Order To Be Good WITNESSES To The World (vs. 14,15) 14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 1. I want you to notice the contrast Paul makes between those in the world and those of us who are Christians. He pictures the world as a very DARK place and believers as bright, shining stars in this dark world. 2. Why is the world such a crooked, perverse, dark place? Because the world does not know God, or acknowledge God, or believe in God. This is why the world is full of all kinds of evil. 3. On the other hand, we who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ do know God, and acknowledge God, and believe in God. And therefore our lives should reflect the light of God in this dark world. 4. Being a chronic complainer greatly dims our light and hinders our Christian witness; because to be a chronic complainer is to be just like the unbelievers in the world who don't know God. 5. Brothers and sisters, we must face the truth and that is this: A complaining spirit is a bad testimony for Christ. If all you do is whine and complain in essence you are saying to the world, God is not a good and gracious God.
CONCLUSION If someone made a secret video recording of your life this past week, how much griping and complaining would they have captured on film? Maybe you came to Church today ready to air your complaints or ready to give someone a piece of your mind. But God has met you at the door today with these words: Do ALL things without COMPLAINING! You now have a choice. You can choose to ignore God's word and go on being a chronic complainer, knowing that you are being disobedient to GOD, and that you are hindering your own spiritual growth, and that you are damaging your Christian witness. Or you can choose to obey God's word, and this day make a commitment to the LORD to STOP BEING A CHRONIC COMPLAINER! How do you STOP COMPLAINING? The best way to do it is to START PRAISING GOD and START THANKING GOD for everything! Replace the negative with a positive! Replace complaints with PRAISE! Every morning when you first open your eyes remind yourself of this great truth: This is the day that the LORD has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it! Instead of wasting my day whining and complaining I will praise GOD and thank GOD for all His blessings upon my life! Do ALL things without complaining!