Stop Complaining - Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word, Pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. So, the planet is cursed. So look how much ammunition you have. There's always something to find out that's wrong. There's always something wrong. There's always something wrong out there. There's always something wrong in here. It could be the temperature today.

Some of you will give your complaints about that. You see, it could be anything. It could be your in-laws. It could be your neighbors. It could be your colleagues.

All you have to do is just look at people. You want to complain? You can spend your whole life complaining. And that's the problem. Not only is it contagious, but it becomes who you are.

And sadly, some of us become chronic complainers. Thank you for joining us today on this edition of Fellowship in the Word with Pastor Bill Gebhardt. Fellowship in the Word is the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible Church located in Metairie, Louisiana.

Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now as once again he shows us how God's Word meets our world. The word on the street is that this series, the weight of your words, is not being well received by you. After last week's service, I heard of at least one complaint. If I can't lie and I can't gossip and I can't brag, what am I going to talk about? So, with the thought that some of you are angry or at least disgruntled, I want to speak this morning on complaining, murmuring, and angry words. You see, as Americans, complaining comes natural to us. We complain about virtually everything. From the weather to the White House, from our saints to those sinners, we complain.

It's an American rite of passage. But we're not unique. Complaining is systemic to the human race.

As long as there's been humans, there's been complaining. In fact, it all began when God confronted Adam immediately after the fall. And Adam's response to God was simply this, you know why it happened?

It happened because of the woman you gave me. But nowhere in Scripture is complaining as nearly as pervasive as it is in the book of Numbers. As Israel was taken out of 400 years of slavery and now on their way to the Promised Land. Would you open your Bibles to Numbers chapter 14? Numbers chapter 14. The context of chapter 14 comes about because of the end, of course, of chapter 13.

And it's a very famous episode. They were ready to go into the land. It took them about six weeks to get ready to go into the Promised Land, but they decided it would be better to send spies in first. And so they did. And in verse 30 of chapter 13, it says, Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, we should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we shall surely overcome it.

A very positive report. But the men who had gone up with him said, we are not able to go up against the people, for they're too strong for us. So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying the land through which we have gone in spying it out is a land that devours its inhabitants. And all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. There also we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim. And we became like grasshoppers in our sight. And so we were in their sight. So you get the circumstances now. Of a profile of complainers and complaining, and we're going to see characteristics that complainers have.

And I am sure because I know so many of you that a lot of this will cover you. First one. Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried and the people wept that night and 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? 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?

And so they said to one another, let's appoint a leader and let's return to Egypt. Now, there's a lot in those verses. About complainers and complaining.

The first thing you see is this. Complainers ignore God's potential. A person who complains ignores God's potential.

I want you to think about that for just a moment. These were people that saw God put all those plagues on Egypt. They saw the Egyptian army swallowed up by the Red Sea. And now they're ready to go into the promised land and they decide it's much too dangerous for them to do it. Secondly, complainers are often born with bad information. You see, what those spies did was they gave him bad information. Caleb and Joshua gave him great information. Hey, we looked it over. It looks great.

Let's go get it. God promised it. But the other 10 gave them bad information. And that's the way it is with complainers.

In our day and age, it's a little bit different. But I notice people who are chronically complaining about our culture, about government. Almost always, their information is based on some conspiracy theory. And almost always, there is no merit to the conspiracy theory at all. But what's interesting about it is once they realize there's no merit about it, they don't stop complaining. They just simply latch onto another conspiracy theory and start complaining again. Complaining is so often based on bad information. Thirdly, complainers are quick to jump to the wrong conclusion. You see, their whole view is the conclusion is this. We're all going to die, and so we need to go back to Egypt. Complainers often feel a tremendous sense of self-pity, and these ones surely do.

Oh, this is going to be terrible and awful for us. The truth of the matter is, and there's another thing, they have very bad judgment. Complainers have bad judgment. Notice what they decided would be the best thing to do. Let's go back to Egypt. Let's appoint a leader, and let's go back.

Now, you saw the movie. Now, do you really believe that the pharaoh would say, you know, I lost my firstborn son. All the Egyptians did. We experienced all the plagues, and my army's at the bottom of the Red Sea.

Great to have you guys back. I mean, do you really think that would be how anybody would be thinking about that? But that was their judgment. It so happens with complainers. But you can see where their complaining is born in verse 9. Moses is speaking. He said, only do not rebel against the Lord, and do not fear the people of the land, for they shall be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them.

The Lord is with us. Do not fear them. You see what's motivating their complaining? They're afraid. That fear they have makes them complainers. You see that a little bit in our culture right now because our culture appears to be, at least either it is or because of social media, it appears to be more dangerous than ever.

It just appears dangerous out there. And you know what we do? We complain about it. I mean, we just complain and complain, and it's born out of our own fear.

And that often happens. But there's something else. Verse 10, but all the congregation said, stone them with stones. There's their solution. Let's kill Moses and Aaron.

That ought to help. Then the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of the meeting to all the sons of Israel. And then we see this point. And the Lord said to Moses, How long will this people spurn me? How long will they not believe in me? Despite all the signs which I performed in their midst, I will smite them with pestilence and dispossess them.

And I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they. Here's the most sobering part. Complaining invites God's judgment.

That's a sobering thought. You see, because God is basically saying this. If there's one thing I am, it's sovereign. I am in control. And so when I complain, what am I saying?

He's not really in control. You see, the other thing is, not only am I sovereign, but I am holy. If I tell you that I'm going to give you the promised land, am I going to give you the promised land?

What did they say? No, you're not. You lied to us.

You're not really going to do it. You see, God is affronted by that. I am a sovereign, all-knowing God. You see, that's one of the things that should make us distinct from everybody else that complains. I say this often, but I read the end of the book. We win. So stop it. You see, it's always like this is bad, the sky is falling, this is bad, the sky is falling. Hey, one day the sky will fall.

But we'll win. You see, it's an affront against God. That's what complaining does. By the way, it's so chronic in this book. They started complaining, you remember, when they got to the Red Sea in Exodus, and they thought they were all going to go there and die. But in this book, this isn't like the solution. The book of Numbers should be called the book of complainers. That's what the whole book's about. It's about complaining. They complain virtually all through the book. They complain in chapter 11, chapter 13, here in chapter 14. They complain in chapter 16. In chapter 20, they're still complaining. They don't have any water, so God says Moses hit the rock, give him the water.

Then in chapter 21, God has supernaturally provided them heavenly food. Man, and you know what? They complained about it. Take this back. Take it back to the kitchen.

I want something else for breakfast. See, I don't like this anymore. They complain the whole way through the book. But it's not just an Old Testament problem. It's a problem in the New Testament as it's a problem in your life and my life. Turn with me now to Philippians chapter 2. In the text we're going to look at, we'll start in verse 12, but there's a context again. The apostle Paul is trying to help the believers of Philippi like he's trying to help us. And he basically wants to tell them that there's a way in which they should act which will be beneficial to them and beneficial to the rest of us.

It'll work for everybody. And so he gives four commandments. And the first commandment is in verse 3.

We looked at that last time. We looked at it when it said, Paul said, do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit. That's the first command. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit. And that word conceit is the word doxa or glory. Don't do anything from your empty glory. You don't have glory, it's empty, but don't do anything.

Don't think that you have glory. He said, don't be selfish. Do anything with empty conceit. Then secondly, with humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourselves. That's the second commandment. If this is going to work, your faith is going to work for you and work for all of us, you have to regard everybody else as more important than you. And you already now, if you thought about it sincerely about you, you thought about complaining, didn't you? What do you mean I should consider everybody else as more important than me?

He's not done. Do not merely look out for your own personal interest, but also the interest of others. There he applies it. Don't look out for your own interest primarily, but look out for everybody else's interest primarily. And then the fourth commandment, have this attitude in yourselves, which is also in Christ. And it's an attitude of humility. Don't be selfish. You see, don't give yourself praise. Consider everybody else as more important than you are. Take their interest over yours. Humble yourself like Christ. Now, they have a problem here.

Same as we do. The Philippians didn't quite believe that. You see, I mean, think about this. He's telling them to consider everyone else as more important than they are.

But you know what you're thinking? But they're not. They're not more important than I am. You see, in Philippi, like in any group of people, but in that culture, look, these people aren't more important than I am. You see, I'm a success.

They're not successful. Some of these people are slaves. They can't be more important than I am. Some of them might have been thinking, I'm Jewish. You see, I'm a son of Abraham. How could some gentile be more important to me?

Why would I consider him? You see, we have no trouble looking out for number one. But we really struggle when it comes to looking out for everybody else as our priority. Paul assumes what they're going to do. Verse 12, so then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Wow. What he's really saying there is, look, I know this might seem really hard for you to do, but you know what? God's working it out in you. God will actually work this out in you.

These things, not being selfish, considering everyone else is more important than you, having the humility of Christ, looking out for other people's interest, God will work that into your life. But Paul understands the Philippians like he understands you and me. Next verse, do all things without grumbling or disputing. He knew they'd complain.

He knew they'd complain. I don't really like that. I don't get that. See, that's the point. I've worked my whole life to be a success, and being a success means you're more important than other people.

Everybody knows that. Paul says, no, it's not the way it's going to work. It's going to be something else.

He anticipates what these people are going to do. You see, complaining is interesting, isn't it? When we complain, what are we really saying? What are we complaining about? We have an unmet expectation.

There's something that we expect. It doesn't happen, and so because of that, we complain. Now, there's a couple things about complaining that are universal. One is complaining is contagious. You see, if you're a complainer and you get around other people, eventually, by the way, you know why it's contagious is because if you get around people who don't like complaining, there's a handful of them somewhere, I'm sure, they won't listen to you much.

They'll politely walk away. But, boy, if you find other people that want to complain with you, oh, then you can just get into a group and start complaining. And here's the beauty of it is all people are sinful. The planet is cursed. So look how much ammunition you have. There's always something to find out that's wrong. There's always something wrong. There's always something wrong out there. There's always something wrong in here. It could be the temperature today.

Some of you will give your complaints about that. You see, it could be anything. It could be your in-laws. It could be your neighbors. It could be your colleagues.

All you have to do is just look at people. You want to complain, you can spend your whole life complaining. And that's the problem. Not only is it contagious, but it becomes who you are. And sadly, some of us become chronic complainers.

And pretty much it's the identifying factor of our life. We complain about everything. How do you stop complaining?

You see, what's the antidote to complaining? Turn with me now to Ephesians chapter 4. Verse 1. The apostle Paul says, Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord.

And you know what that means? These are both Philippians and Ephesians prison epistles. Paul wrote these epistles, four of them, while I was in prison. And guess what he didn't do in one of them? He never complained. He was unfairly treated, then unfairly arrested, then unfairly incarcerated, and could have been unfairly executed. And you know what he didn't do? He didn't complain.

Why? He believed that God is sovereign. You see, he believed that God's involved in every situation. That's why the Lord said he sees the sparrow fall.

There's no situation so small that God isn't very much aware of it. So notice what Paul says. Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of your calling which you have been called. Live like believers. Live like Christians. Walk in a manner worthy of being called children of God.

And then he says this. With all humility and gentleness. And there's a word, with patience. With patience. Now what happens when we show patience?

What happens? What's the result with patience? Showing tolerance for one another in love.

Wow. You see, if I have patience, then I have tolerance. And when I have tolerance, that means by implication I can tolerate you.

You see, instead of complaining about you, I can tolerate you. Now some of you say, yeah, but that's patience. I don't have patience. My parents didn't have patience. My parents told me my grandparents don't have patience. We're impatient people. Well that's sad, but that's why Christ died. Okay, your impatience is not a virtue of your family tree. It's a sin of your flesh.

That's what your impatience is. Now, you say, well I can't. The word of God says I can. Turn with me now to Colossians chapter 3. Colossians chapter 3, another prison epistle. Verse 12. Here the apostle Paul says, so as those who have been chosen of God, that's again us, holy, that means set apart, holy and beloved.

We are a set apart people that God loves. He said I want you to put on a heart of compassion and kindness and humility and gentleness and there it is again, patience. Right after patience, what's it say? Bearing with one another.

You see, bearing with one another. Listen, if you keep waiting for people to meet your expectations and you decide I'll stop complaining when they start meeting my expectations, you will die complaining. It's going to happen every day.

It's going to happen almost every way. You see, what we really need to do in this fallen world is to show, as he says right there, to show the heart of passion, compassion, kindness, humility and gentleness and patience. But it's even clearer if you turn with me now to Galatians chapter 5. Galatians chapter 5.

And you'll see that we're completely without excuse when it comes to complaining and patience. Verse 22 of Galatians 5. Paul says, but the fruit of the Spirit is, now please understand, I say this all the time, he doesn't say these are the fruits of the Spirit. That would be are. That'd be a plural.

This is a singular verb. The fruit of the Spirit is. So when you have the Spirit in control of your life, this is what is evidenced in your life. So don't say, I'm pretty good at two of those.

I'm working on two or three of them and I'm probably below average on the other. It's not what he means. He said when you're controlled by the Spirit of God, this is what it looks like. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, there it is, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Against such things there is no law. When you're controlled by the Spirit of God, one of the things that is evident in your life is you are patient. If you are humble, gentle, kind and patient, guess what you won't be doing? Complaining. You see, so when you are complaining, you have to ask yourself that question. Where does this complaint come from? It doesn't come from the Spirit of God.

This comes from my flesh. You see, someone's not meeting my expectation and I want to complain about it. At that website you will find not only today's broadcast, but also many of our previous audio programs as well. At Fellowship in the Word, we are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help this radio ministry continue its broadcast on this radio station by supporting us monthly or with just a one-time gift. Support for our ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word, 4600 Clearview Parkway, Metairie, Louisiana, 7006. If you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format, that is as a sermon that Pastor Bill delivered during a Sunday morning service at Fellowship Bible Church, then you should visit our website, fbcnola.org.

That's fbcnola.org. At our website you will find hundreds of Pastor Bill's sermons. You can browse through our sermon archives to find the sermon series you are looking for, or you can search by title. Once you find the message you are looking for, you can listen online, or if you prefer, you can download the sermon and listen at your own convenience. And remember, you can do all of this absolutely free of charge. Once again, our website is fbcnola.org. For Pastor Bill Gebhardt, I'm Jason Gebhardt, thanking you for listening to Fellowship in the Word.