Trusting God Without Complaint (Philippians 2:14-16) | Pastor Jacob Mock

Have you been healthy lately? I hope

that you've been healthy lately. And uh

we all I think would say that we want to be healthy. And we tend to assume that

be healthy. And we tend to assume that we are healthy that everything is is good when uh there's nothing major going on, right? When there's no major aches

on, right? When there's no major aches and pains and there's no bo obviously broken bone and we can we can just say, "Yeah, okay. I'm healthy. Everything's

"Yeah, okay. I'm healthy. Everything's

good."

Well, let's say that you you take that attitude. You go to the doctor for a

attitude. You go to the doctor for a checkup and your doctor just checks in.

Well, how do you how have you been? Have

you been healthy? You say, 'Yeah, I've been healthy. I'm all good. Your doctor

been healthy. I'm all good. Your doctor

says, okay, well, I'm going to ask you some questions and just answer honestly so we can, you know, assess see if you're healthy. Your doctor asks, have

you're healthy. Your doctor asks, have you noticed that you get winded at all, like walking short distances or going up the stairs, you lose your breath? or

your doctor asks, "How long have you had that cough?" Or, "Have you been getting

that cough?" Or, "Have you been getting unusually tired lately?"

Think about those questions and you answer, "Well, you know, I've noticed some of those things. Um, but it's no big deal, right? Like, I just thought it was not a big deal and no, nothing

major, so I'm I'm fine." Right. Right.

talk. Your doctor says, "Well, uh, I hear that you say that you think that you're fine, but based on what I'm observing, based on what I'm seeing here, I'm seeing some things that are

probably uh they're they're problematic things that you are brushing off as no big deal. They could be revealing that

big deal. They could be revealing that you have deeper uh more problematic health issues than maybe you realize."

Or sometimes something that seems small that an issue that seems small can actually be revealing an issue that's a bigger problem. It can be revealing that

bigger problem. It can be revealing that there's something underneath that really needs to be explored that could be a much bigger problem.

I think any Christian would say hopefully that they want to have a healthy relationship with God. that any

Christian would say, I want to have the kind of relationship with God where I trust him fully, where I trust him with all my heart. And maybe many Christians

would say, I I do have that kind of a relationship with God. I I trust him.

Trust him fully and completely. You

know, he's proven time and time again that I can trust him. Of course, I trust him. We can think, I know that the Bible

him. We can think, I know that the Bible teaches that he is trustworthy and I know that the the right answer here is to say that he's trustworthy and I trust him. So, yeah, I'm good. Why are we

him. So, yeah, I'm good. Why are we talking about this? I know that I trust God.

Well, often times we can assume that we are trusting God with our lives more than we actually are.

And in our passage this morning, Philippians chapter 2 14-16, Paul is going to give us a diagnostic.

He's going to help us uh check our hearts to see, are we really trusting God the way that we want to? Are we

really trusting God the way that we say that we are? He's going to help us see if there's any distrust in our hearts toward God. Paul, he talks about this

toward God. Paul, he talks about this issue, this thing that so often is just pushed away, is just brushed over, is seen as no, not a big deal. Everybody

has this issue. Everybody does this. You

hear it all the time. It's just it's just that just not a big deal. But God's

word is going to tell us this morning, it is a big deal. It's it is a very big deal. Paul's going to point this issue

deal. Paul's going to point this issue out, the issue of complaining.

He's going to say, "It's a big deal.

It's a big problem. we need to give our our focus to it. We need to give our attention to this issue because complaining which is usually seen as not a very big deal. It's actually revealing something

deal. It's actually revealing something going on in our hearts. It's revealing

that maybe we are not trusting God as much as thoroughly as we we think.

We're going to see in our passage Philippians chapter 2 verse 14. Look

with me now. We'll read it together.

says this verse 14, "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." Paul is writing to the church in

vain." Paul is writing to the church in Philippi and he's just written a couple verses before about how they need to uh they need to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. So he's in this

section of his letter where he's calling their attention to the outworking of their faith. They trust in Christ and

their faith. They trust in Christ and they should there should be some things that are visibly tangibly taking place to work out their salvation. And now he

builds on this idea by saying, "Do all things without grumbling or disputing."

Do all things without grumbling or disputing. To grumble. To grumble that's

disputing. To grumble. To grumble that's that's to complain. That's to complain with a a bad temper. To be frustrated, to be upset about life and what's happening and the way that you see and

the way things that you wish were different and and you can grumble about it with a bad temper.

He says, "Dwell things without grumbling or disputing." disputing. It's like

or disputing." disputing. It's like

arguing. It's having a a heated discussion, being upset and making it known. He says, "Abstain from these

known. He says, "Abstain from these things. Keep yourself from these things

things. Keep yourself from these things because the end result is going to be that God's people are blameless and innocent. God intends for his people to

innocent. God intends for his people to be different, to be set apart, to shine like lights in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, to be winsome witnesses to the gospel of Jesus

Christ." So what Paul's telling us is

Christ." So what Paul's telling us is that Christians who who refuse to complain. Christians who say, "I I will

complain. Christians who say, "I I will not complain. I will not grumble."

not complain. I will not grumble."

They set themselves apart. They stand

out in the world in a way that God would intend. They It sets them apart from the

intend. They It sets them apart from the world whenever they say, "Not going to complain."

complain." So point number one this morning, you can write it down this way. Refuse to

complain.

refuse to do it. When you refuse to complain, it shows that you you trust God. You're going to be clearly set

God. You're going to be clearly set apart in this world. And look verse 14 again. What does it say? It says, "Do

again. What does it say? It says, "Do all things without grumbling or disputing. Everything we do, every

disputing. Everything we do, every moment of every day, everything that we're involved in, God's expectation is you do it all, no matter what, without

grumbling, without complaining, without disputing.

You know, that's a lesson that we rightfully so will teach to children when they're young, right? We don't want to complain. Let's not argue. We don't

to complain. Let's not argue. We don't

want to dispute. Let's not do that. But,

uh, it's interesting that often times there's a a lesson that we're teaching to kids. It it should be revisited as we

to kids. It it should be revisited as we enter into adulthood.

It makes me think of my son. He is going to be four soon. And, you know, fouryear-olds, four-year-olds at times, they like to complain. They like to whine. And just like most

whine. And just like most four-year-olds, my son does that at times. And uh just the other morning,

times. And uh just the other morning, he was whining. He was complaining because he was eating a granola bar. And

before he took a bite out of this bar, it broke in half.

Dad, I'm not I can't eat this. It broke in half. Said, "No, buddy. It's fine. You

half. Said, "No, buddy. It's fine. You

can eat it." Oh, man. Ray, worst news ever.

I'm like, "Hey, buddy. Listen. Um, it's

okay. It still tastes the same." No,

Dad. I need a new one.

No, buddy. Not going to That's wasteful.

Not going to be wasteful. Just eat that.

Eat the bar. It's fine. No, I don't want to do that. I want a new one. So, well,

listen. You know, whenever you actually take a bite out of a bar, you know what happens?

It breaks. You chew it up. Well, there

was no reasoning with him at this point.

No reasoning. So, we had a a fun time dealing with that. But, you know, I can I can I think about my son, four year olds who whine and complain and and

think, man, you have nothing to complain about, right? Like, w Hey, just you

about, right? Like, w Hey, just you wait, right? Oh, just wait. Just wait

wait, right? Oh, just wait. Just wait

until you get to be my age or wait until you get to be older and then then you'll have some things to complain about.

But even when they have that thought, it's like, wait a minute, that's not exactly right to think.

But sometimes as we we grow up and enter into adulthood, we can think what that just because the the problems we face are proportionately bigger that it justifies our complaining and our

grumbling and our disputing about things.

They say, "No, there's no justifying.

There's there there's there's nothing I should complain about nothing. do all

things without grumbling or disputing. I

mean, but but look, you look around the world. There's a lot to complain about.

world. There's a lot to complain about.

There's a lot that you could complain about.

I mean, we got politics, got inflation, got these gas prices that won't stay steady. You got

responsibilities, your family, your job, got a boss, you got all the things going on. you got you got uh you know your job

on. you got you got uh you know your job is draining you and and you signed up for this ministry post and it's not quite you know shaping out to be how you thought. So, it's not exactly, you know,

thought. So, it's not exactly, you know, what I was thinking here. And and uh then you look in your own home. There's

plenty that you could complain about in your own home, right? You have a spouse and your spouse is not perfect. You're

not perfect. Your spouse isn't perfect.

You got children who are not perfect.

You got chores in the house. There's

always something to do. There's repairs

that happen. There's always something to spend money on. And by the way, there's never seems to be enough money. And I

got a vehicle or two to take care of.

and vehicle problems happen and talk about money down the drain. They're just

going on and on and all these things that we face every day, things that are in our faces that we could be complaining about. We could be

complaining about. We could be complaining about but the question is this, are we complaining about it? Are

we actually partaking in this sin? Are

we participating? Are we are we taking all that's going on in life and are we grumbling about it? We looking to our spouse, looking to our friends, looking to our small group, even in our prayers before God. Is it

just complaint after complaint and grumbling because man, I just wish my life was different. I wish that things were different. I wish that my spouse

were different. I wish that my spouse would be different. I've talked to him.

I've talked to her about this so many times and and I've talked to my kids about this and and my boss and I've I've brought this before and it's just oh, there's so much. I'm just complaining.

Is that how is that how we're acting? Is

that how we're behaving?

We got to refuse to do it.

Do all things without grumbling or disputing. We need to realize that God

disputing. We need to realize that God does not take kindly at all to this sin, this issue.

Maybe hopefully you've been uh tracking with our DVR this year. We made it through Numbers. We're into Deuteronomy.

through Numbers. We're into Deuteronomy.

And as you're reading through, what is it that we see time and time again? We

see Israel complaining.

We see Israel grumbling against God. You

got Numbers 11, we see uh one example of of how God feels about this. Uh

Numbershap 11:1 says, "And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord."

They complained in his hearing about their misfortunes about everything they look they say, "Oh, this is so unfortunate. Oh, this is not good." They're complaining in the

not good." They're complaining in the hearing of the Lord. And when the Lord heard it, his anger was hindled and the fire of the Lord burned among them and

consumed some outlying parts of the camp.

That's how God feels about that complaining.

The people cried out to Moses and Moses prayed to the Lord and the fire died down. Fire down on the outlying parts of

down. Fire down on the outlying parts of the camp because of the sin of grumbling and complaining. And in the very next

and complaining. And in the very next chapter, Numbers 12, you have Miriam and Aaron, and they're complaining against Moses for some decisions that he's made.

They're they're upset. They're

complaining. They're grumbling against him, against God's chosen, against against his prophet, the one that he is is leading Israel. They're complaining

against him. And what does God do to Miriam?

Strikes her with leprosy.

That's how serious he is about this. and

and uh and and they pray and she has to go outside the camp and she comes back.

Eventually, she's healed, man. Fire and

leprosy.

We got passages in the New Testament like our text this morning. We have

other ones like 1 Peter 4:9 that says, "Show hospitality to one another without grumbling." And we have James 5:9, which

grumbling." And we have James 5:9, which says, "Do not grumble against one another."

another." So time and time again all throughout scripture, we see that God, he hates this, that we need to see this as a

problem. We need to refuse to do it. And

problem. We need to refuse to do it. And

Paul, he he he partners words together here. He says, "No grumbling and no

here. He says, "No grumbling and no disputing."

disputing." You want to be blameless, no grumbling, no disputing.

You notice that complaining and grumbling, it often leads to disputes.

It often leads to conflict, contention between people because complaining, right, the the problem is it rarely ever stays private.

It it can be private. It can be in my heart, in my mind, and I'm just leaving it up here. And we can think that because we're not externalizing it that we're fine, but we're not. We have to check everything. But but it rarely does

check everything. But but it rarely does it stay in our hearts and our minds. It

finds its way out. We find people to share these complaints with.

And as we share complaints, it can cause disputes. But you know, often times what

disputes. But you know, often times what happens is when uh when we complain, we can disguise it. You say, "It's not complaining.

It's a prayer request." Okay?

just want to share with my small group about everything in my life that I just wish was different. Hey, will you pray for me? Well, that's not to say that we

for me? Well, that's not to say that we we should have some people that we trust to share things with to ask for prayer, but there's a big difference in our attitude and the intention behind

saying, "I'm dealing with this. Will you

pray for me?" And oh boy, let me tell you, let me tell you about everything that's going on.

Pray for me, please. Right? There's a

difference between that. We can disguise it as a prayer request. And uh we can also disguise our concern, our our complaining by saying, um, hey, I'm just

really concerned about something. Oh

man, I'm just seeing these things about my life or about my job or about whatever, and I'm just I just got to talk to somebody. I got to share. Really

concerned about this.

Really, it's just grumbling and complaining because something's happening, and you wish it was different.

So, another way that we do this is uh we can say, "Hey, look, I'm just a type of person. I'm just an honest person. I'm

person. I'm just an honest person. I'm

just going to keep it real, right? And

because I'm that kind of person, I'm just honest and I I keep it real with everybody. No one else seems to be

everybody. No one else seems to be honest enough to say what needs to be said. So, I'm just going to be the

said. So, I'm just going to be the person that just says what needs to be said."

said." But so often what we think needs to be said, it doesn't need to be said because it's complaining. It's grumbling.

it's complaining. It's grumbling.

And maybe you've been approached like this before with the prayer request or the concern or the um or the uh I'm just being honest. Or maybe you've approached

being honest. Or maybe you've approached someone else in that way and what you've seen happen is that it it caused conflict. It caused disputing.

conflict. It caused disputing.

like you're coming to someone and and you're sharing this concern, sharing something that you don't like and this person that you're talking to or maybe someone's talking to you that you come around and you say, "Hey, you

know what? I didn't see that before, but

know what? I didn't see that before, but I see it now and I'm with you. That's a

problem. How have I not seen this before?"

before?" And then before you know it, you got more people that are talking about this and and people are turning on people and taking sides on things that probably

would have just remained a non-issue had the person in the first place said, "I'm going to refuse to complain about it.

I'm not going to grumble. I'm not going to allow for my words to go and cause these disputes."

these disputes." God cares deeply about the integrity of his people.

If we're going to be people with integrity, with godly character, he says, "Refuse to complain. Don't

complain. Don't grumble." And he cares deeply about the unity of his church.

He says, "To preserve the the unity of my church, of my people, let's not complain." Because complaining and grumbling, what does it lead to? It

leads through those disputes. There's

unnecessary often times silly disputes.

So God doesn't take kindly to this at all. We need to refuse to complain no

all. We need to refuse to complain no matter what's going on. Got to say, "Lord, I recognize that this is sin and I don't want to sin.

I'm going to refuse to complain."

Our passage in verse 15, we kind of see Paul's purpose statement here. He says,

"Do all things without grumbling or disputing so that that here's the reason that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a

crooked and twisted generation."

Blameless meaning no one can bring a complaint. No one no one can bring an accusation against you on any of this. Specifically with

complaining, you're blameless here.

Innocent being this this purity of character before God. That integrity.

That's how God wants his people to be.

Blameless and innocent without blemish in the midst of what? A very crooked a blemished a twisted generation. The

world that we live in of course is twisted is crooked. And uh God's people are meant to be different.

Not crooked. Not twisted. In this

passage in Philippians, it it echoes it echoes a a passage in Deuteronomy chapter 32, which is the song of Moses.

Deuteronomy 32:5 says this, "They have dealt corruptly with him." Right? Israel has dealt

with him." Right? Israel has dealt corruptly with the Lord. They are no longer his children because they are blemished.

They are a crooked and twisted generation.

So Paul's warning here is it should be very clear to us the warning is hey don't follow the pattern of the Israelites.

Don't fall into that. Don't fall into that pattern. Don't be like them. Don't

that pattern. Don't be like them. Don't

be like the ones that grumbled and complained in the wilderness. And God said over them, "No longer my children. You're

blemished. You're crooked and you're twisted. You're you're grumblers." He

twisted. You're you're grumblers." He

says, "No, no. We're not going to fall into that pattern. Let's refuse to do this. through all things without

this. through all things without grumbling or disputing.

In Exodus chapter 16, this is right around when uh when God when he miraculously saved Israel from the hands of Egypt, right? He split the Red Sea.

They walked through on dry land. The

water came crashing back around the Egyptians. This miraculous rescue

Egyptians. This miraculous rescue Israel, they saw God work out and provide this way. And in just a few

verses later, what are they doing?

They're complaining.

We had better food back there, Moses.

It was It was better. You should have just left us there. You brought us out here to die because we're so hungry.

They're grumbling and they're complaining. In uh in verse eight of

complaining. In uh in verse eight of Exodus chapter 16, this is Moses' response. He says, "When the Lord gives

response. He says, "When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat, and in the morning bread to the fool, because

the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him, what are we? Your grumbling is not

against us, not against Moses and Aaron, but your grumbling is against the Lord."

Right? They're complaining. Their

grumbling was so egregious to God because it exposed, it revealed that they were still not trusting him as they

should have been trusting him.

Point number two, see your complaining as distrusting God.

See your complaining as distrusting God.

Complaining and grumbling. What we're

doing and we do that is we are expressing dissatisfaction or discontentment or we look at life look at a situation a

circumstance and do we decide nope I don't like that I wish it was different wish my work was different wish my home my family life was different I wish wish things were

different so when we are grumbling and we're expressing this discontentment grumbling comes comes when there is a

failure to recognize and to fully trust that God is sovereign.

God is in control.

We fail to recognize that that there has never been and there will never be a time where God loses control. That's our

God, sovereign, in control over all things. So the the root problem that

things. So the the root problem that we're getting at here with our grumbling and our complaining is it's a failure to trust God for who he says he is. It's a

failure to look to God to his wisdom and trust his wisdom. It's a failure to trust his his goodness, his kindness, his faithfulness. It's a

failure to trust his sovereignty.

So we fail to trust and we complain. We grumble.

I'm ashamed to say it, but I can think of many times growing up where I complained against my dad, my earthly father. And usually, what did

it have to do with? It had to do with the fact that I wanted something and he said, "No." So, what did I do? I

said, "No." So, what did I do? I

complained, right? Not not just to him, but I go to

right? Not not just to him, but I go to my brother sometimes. Oh, man. when

you're my age. Hopefully, dad, you know, loosens up a little bit. Maybe you can have some fun when you're my age, right?

Just it's a problem. It's a huge problem for me to complain about my dad and his decisions because what is it exposing?

Well, it's exposing that I don't respect him as I should. I don't have that proper fear of my dad that I should have had.

is exposing that I'm I'm failing to realize that his decisions that what he says that I should do and that I should not do

ultimately it's for what? It's for my good.

It's for my benefit. It's for my growth.

It's for my maturity.

I'm failing to recognize that he knows better than me.

Then all of a sudden when I turned 15, I'm like, "Dad, I got it all figured out.

Let me do what I'm going to do. Just

just leave me alone."

That's arrogant.

It's a failure to realize that I don't know as much as I think that I know.

You can treat my dad this way. A failure

to trust him. At least all he's complaining. We can treat God just like

complaining. We can treat God just like that.

We can be just like Israel.

We can treat God just like that.

And when we complain, that's what we're doing is we're showing that we have a lack of trust in God. Hebrews chapter 3 19, this is another call back to that wilderness generation describing the

problem there. It says this. So we see

problem there. It says this. So we see that they were unable to enter because

of what? Because of unbelief.

of what? Because of unbelief.

Because of a a lack of trust in God.

That's the problem.

They had seen God time and time again provide.

They'd seen God time and time again rescue them.

And their response was when things got hard, when things didn't work out how they thought that it should, was to grumble against that God who provided

time and time again. So the warning here is that, hey, if we don't give this our attention, if we don't give this issue our proper attention, then that's what we're going to be like. We're going to

be just like those Israelites who was easy for us to open and to read through and to go, "How ridiculous." Like God split the sea. God provided over and over and yet you still are complaining.

Wow. It's like, hello.

We can do the same thing.

We got to give this our attention. We

can forget that God is We can forget who he is. We can forget all the ways that

he is. We can forget all the ways that he continues to provide for us.

And whenever life isn't working out how we want it to work out, we can go.

Wow. What's the deal with this? I just

wanted to be different. Why can't this circumstance be be more like that person's circumstance?

Failure to trust God.

Sometimes we can actually we can actually see our our circumstances that we aren't liking. Sometimes we can actually see in this in a skewed way.

It's like we're looking at them and we're thinking, God, this is your failure to provide for me.

We can spin it like why why aren't you why aren't you answering this prayer?

Why aren't why do I have this situation still? Why is my life like this?

still? Why is my life like this?

But in reality, what we need to do is we need to just look back throughout our lives and go, "Okay, God, you've proven time and time again that I just need to trust you. I I need to keep my mouth shut from

you. I I need to keep my mouth shut from complaining.

I'm just going to trust you. I'm going

to trust that you know best."

I can think to a time in my own life where I was not happy with the way that things were were happening and I had a friend of mine and we were talking and I was complaining to him. Um but like I

said earlier it was it was definitely under that you know guys pray for me man. I got some concerns and he just

man. I got some concerns and he just quietly listened to me tell him about all these things in my life that I wish were different. And um he didn't say

were different. And um he didn't say much except for when I was done he looked at me and he said that's hard providence.

I was taken aback by that. I was like wow do you have any compassion in your heart? Like don't you aren't you going

heart? Like don't you aren't you going to like aren't you going to affirm anything that I said? Aren't you going to be like, man, like yeah, like how dare those people like it's what we want

whenever we whenever we are uh complaining sometimes. But he didn't say

complaining sometimes. But he didn't say he said it's hard providence.

That really that really helped me after I got over my own pride in that situation to realize, yeah, this is providential because the God that I that I say that I

trust, he is in control. He is

sovereign.

So there's not one thing that happens to me that that he hasn't said, "Yep, this is what's going Yes, it's happening to you."

you." I should say, "I providence. It's

providential. I'm going to just trust you through it."

We can all have issues with this, right?

We all think of times where we've been more prone to complain, seasons of complaining. So what we need to do is we

complaining. So what we need to do is we need to see this this sin, complaining, grumbling, disputing. We need to elevate

grumbling, disputing. We need to elevate it in our minds as as a a a big problem.

We need to stop being able to say, "Oh, whatever. Yeah. Oh, man. Oops. Well, you

whatever. Yeah. Oh, man. Oops. Well, you

know, I got a lot of things going on and it's kind of justified." It's never justified.

We need to elevate it that way when it does happen, right? Right? It's like

these like alarm bells are going off in our minds like, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey,

that's that's that sin. That's the

complaining. That's the grumbling.

I'm not going to excuse it. I'm not

going to find a way to justify it. I'm

going to call it for what it is. It is

sin. God clearly hates it. And I'm going to repent. I'm not going to do that." We

to repent. I'm not going to do that." We

got to call out sin for what it is, as the Bible does. And it's helpful for us to remember this is the sin that God brought fire down on Israel for. This is

the sin that uh that Miriam was struck with leprosy over. The sin that he calls out in his word over and over again.

It's a sin. It's a problem.

It's a problem that exposes our our lack of trust in God.

It's damaging because it shows that we have that lack of trust in God. And um

it's not it's not damaging just for that. It's also damaging because what it

that. It's also damaging because what it does to us is it actually it makes us blend in with the world, right? Like any

sin, when we sin, we are blending in.

We're we're being like the world. And um

verse 15, it says it says 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.

So among this crooked and twisted generation among the world Christians, we're different when we become a

Christian, right? We are set apart in

Christian, right? We are set apart in that way. But now what's Paul saying,

that way. But now what's Paul saying, right? He's saying, he's saying, "Now

right? He's saying, he's saying, "Now work out your salvation with fear and trembling before the Lord. Be different.

Shine like a light in the world." And we can do this when we say, "I'm going to refuse to complain. I'm going to refuse to do it because because it shows that I'm lacking trust in you, God. I want to

trust you with with every detail of my life. And I'm going to realize that when

life. And I'm going to realize that when I complain, point number three, you got to we got to understand complaining conforms you to the world.

Understand that complaining conforms you to the world.

That thing that we can so often say, "Not a big deal." It is a big deal because what's it doing? making us blend in with the world.

And uh the thing about complainers is nobody wants to spend time around a complainer, right? Nobody wants to. It's

complainer, right? Nobody wants to. It's

it's it's exhausting. It's draining.

Nobody wants to spend time around that person. And even people outside of the

person. And even people outside of the church, they get this. People outside of the church, they understand this. Maybe

they've never even read this passage.

They never heard of this, but they understand that uh yeah, we don't want to be around somebody as a complainer.

You think of a secular workplace. You

think of a non-Christian boss. What's

something that that non-Christian boss is going to be really upset when when they learn that their employees are doing? Complaining.

doing? Complaining.

They're not going to be happy about it because they get it. They get that the complaining and the grumbling. What does

it lead to? They've probably seen it happen where the grumblers, they grumble and it's contagious, right? They're

talking about, "Oh, this this company and our boss and just it'd be better if things were this way." And people are listening and going, "Hey, yeah, I see that. I'm with you. Oh, man. Hey, let's

that. I'm with you. Oh, man. Hey, let's

tell this person. Let's go bring more conflict and and more disputes." Right?

The boss, this non-Christian boss, they get it. So, they're saying, "Uh-uh. I

get it. So, they're saying, "Uh-uh. I

don't want to deal with that. I don't

want the complainers. I don't want them to cause issues.

So look, even non-Christians, they understand this. But let's just think

understand this. But let's just think for a moment about what Christians, what we say we believe, right? We we say that we believe what the Bible teaches,

right? We affirm the Bible. That's the

right? We affirm the Bible. That's the

authoritative word of God. Every word of it is true. I live my life by it. I

submit to it. That's it.

Let's just see what some of the things that the Bible actually teaches. You

know, the Bible teaches that our God is the one true God. Right? Opening pages

of scripture, what do we see? He's God.

One true God. He is the the omnipotent creator of the universe.

He is all powerful. We see that he is all wise. He has all the wisdom. He has

all wise. He has all the wisdom. He has

all the knowledge. There is nothing, no one wiser, smarter than him.

We see that he is uh he is present everywhere that he is sovereign that he is in control that he is uh that he is perfect

by the way that we affirm that we serve a God who is perfect.

All of his decisions are perfect.

Everything he's ever done, everything that he will ever do, all of his plans perfect. no flaws,

perfect. no flaws, that he's good, that he's holy, that our God is trustworthy.

That's what the Bible teaches. We affirm

that we believe this as Christians, the people that know us as Christians, they say, "Yep, okay." You know, there are plenty of non-Christians who know what the Bible teaches, generally speaking, right? There are plenty of

right? There are plenty of non-Christians who they know that the Bible teaches these things about God. So

there are plenty of non-Christians who know that when you and I say that we are Christians that this is what we say we believe about God.

So what does it say to non-Christians to the world when a Christian a professing Christian is like a huge complainer

and a big grumbler about life circumstances and my job and my family and I wish it was different.

What does that say to the non-Christian?

That non-Christian could rightfully think, "Wait a minute. You say that you believe all this stuff about God, about your God, but it doesn't seem to be

making a very tangible difference in your life. Isn't that what it's isn't

your life. Isn't that what it's isn't that supposed to happen? Isn't your life supposed to change? Are you supposed to have like hope?"

And then that non-Christian could uh could think, "Um, yeah, you're not even acting very different than me.

Maybe it's even like you freak out about life more than I do and you and you say that this is the God that you serve and this is the God that that that you trust so much it's not acting like you trust

him very much.

So whenever we're complaining and grumbling, right? It's it's it's not

grumbling, right? It's it's it's not setting us apart for holiness. It's not

it's not going towards that shining like stars, shining like a light in the in the world. It's making us look like the

the world. It's making us look like the world.

And this is one of those things that the world really even looks down upon. So

it's like man, it's not a good thing whatever we are being conformed to be like the world. Right? We know that Romans 12:2 says what? Do not be

conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.

So when the world complains Christians with transformed, we are we are new creation. We are transformed.

our minds being renewed by God's word.

When the world's complaining, we need to say "Nope.

I'm not going to align myself with the world in that way.

I'm going to trust God. I'm going to obey God. I'm going to keep my mouth

obey God. I'm going to keep my mouth closed from these complaints."

Right? Our our non-Christian friends and family and co-workers and neighbors, this is something that should be they should notice about us.

They should notice that we don't really have anything negative to say, right?

Like everybody deals with hardships and everybody has things that they could say that they're not enjoying about their life, but Christians just they're different. Something about Yeah.

they're different. Something about Yeah.

It's just different because we say, "Yep, I'm not going to complain. I'm not

going to grumble. I'm refuse. I'm gonna

refuse to do that because we trust God.

This idea of uh of shining um it makes us think back to Matthew chapter 5, Jesus's words in Matthew chapter 5 verse 16.

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. Let your light shine.

This is what Jesus is saying, right?

Salt and light. Let your light shine.

Why?

So that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven.

Your light will shine in this crooked and twisted generation. as he refused to complain.

He said, "I'm not not going to do it."

And that is a powerful testimony to the goodness and trustworthiness of God.

It is powerful for people to recognize that in Christians, to see that in Christians.

And it's not so they can look at us at at who we are and think, "Oh man, like they're strong."

they're strong." Like, "Oh, that they got it together."

That's not why we're refraining and refusing to complain. We we we stop complaining because we want them to see the real reason behind why we don't

complain. What's the real reason?

complain. What's the real reason?

The reason is because we have God as our father.

God is our father who we trust to take care of us. So when we say I'm not going to complain, it's that powerful testimony of wait a minute because there's some there's something going on

here. You trust God so much that you

here. You trust God so much that you just don't complain that you don't grumble about all these things that the world typically would be grumbling about. He's the reason why

about. He's the reason why we don't need to complain.

I was in high school. I was uh on the football team and there was one year where we got a new uh a new coach. She

was like the defensive coordinator and the head coach said, "All right, you, this new coach, you're going to be in charge of all of the conditioning of our football team, all of the running and

getting us in shape for the season." So,

the summer comes and uh day one, anything that me and my teammates thought we knew about running and conditioning and and and difficulty, that's all out the window. This dude

notched it up. Like, I'm talking this was crazy. the sprinting and all the

was crazy. the sprinting and all the running and the relay races and the bear crawling and all this like nonsense, right? It's like, man,

right? It's like, man, we're all like getting sick, throwing up. Wow, what is going on? This is

up. Wow, what is going on? This is

crazy. After that first day, we get back to the locker room and what happens?

What are we doing? Oh, we're

complaining. Who is this guy? He's brand

new. He doesn't He doesn't even know our names. He's making us run like this.

names. He's making us run like this.

This is This is absurd. This is crazy.

This is taken up to another level. We

don't like this.

It went on through a whole summer where he he conditioned us. We thought we were going to die, right? Just hard. And we

got to the season and we got to this game and this particular game we had scheduled a game against a team that really we were not supposed to beat. You

know, one of those games where it's like, nah, everybody knows we're going to lose. We're going to play it anyways.

to lose. We're going to play it anyways.

Well, got down to the closing minutes of the game and we were behind. we were

losing. But uh we noticed that this other team, they started to get really tired. They were just winded. And we

tired. They were just winded. And we

looked around at each other and we were like, "Hey, we're actually feeling pretty good.

This is actually, hey, we can do this."

And all of a sudden, it makes sense, right?

We came back, we won the game, and you know what didn't happen as much.

We weren't We weren't talking bad about Coach Keith.

Saying he knows what he's doing. He

knows. We see it. We get it. That was

tough. That was hard. I didn't like it.

It didn't make sense to me at the time.

But coach, you know what you're doing, right? And and it wasn't like an

right? And and it wasn't like an opportunity for us to look at this other team and be like, "Yeah, look how awesome we are." We all knew like, "Oh, hey, that's him. That's our coach.

Because we have God as our father, we can approach these difficulties. We

can approach these these things that we may typically complain about and we can say, "God, you know what you're doing.

You you I trust you. You've shown me time and time again that you just know what you're doing.

So, I'm going to trust you."

moments where beforehand I was prone to complain and grumble and cause disputes.

I'm going to remind myself of who you are, that I can and I should just trust you and trust what you're doing. Say,

I'm not going to grumble about it. I'm

not going to complain about it. And that

is a powerful testimony to the world around us whenever we say, "No, no, I'm not going to conform. We're not going to be like the world.

Maybe we have a lot of things going on, a lot of difficulties going on where we we could we have opportunity to complain. And maybe people that we know,

complain. And maybe people that we know, they know that about us. They can

observe hardships that we're facing. But

whenever we just say, "I trust God. I'm

not going to speak bad of my situation.

I'm not going to speak bad of him. I'm

not going to speak bad of anybody around me." Powerful

me." Powerful because it makes us stand out. Shining

like that light in this crooked and twisted generation.

uh verse 16, Paul, he encourages the church in Philippi. He says, "Holding fast to the

Philippi. He says, "Holding fast to the word of life." 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. And so he's saying,"I want you to hold firm to the gospel through whatever situation, through

whatever circumstance, whatever. I don't

want you to to back down. I want you to persevere." So that way when my life is

persevere." So that way when my life is coming to an end, I can look back and I can go, "Yeah, I didn't labor in vain. I

didn't I didn't do all this for nothing." So the idea he's saying they

nothing." So the idea he's saying they need to hold firmly, hold fast. It's

like that idea of clinging to something.

He wants him to cling to the gospel. So

point number four, cling to the gospel when you're tempted to complain.

Cling to the gospel when you are tempted to complain. What do we learn through

to complain. What do we learn through the gospel, by the way? We learn that God is good.

We learn that God is holy, that God is just. We learn that God, he hates sin.

just. We learn that God, he hates sin.

He He's He's He's wrathful against sin.

We learn that God is love, of course, through the gospel.

What do we learn about Christ? We learn

that Christ, we learn about the uh the the incarnation. We Christ came, he took

the incarnation. We Christ came, he took on flesh and he lived a perfect life and uh he went to the cross and he died a

death that he did not deserve to die that he he took he took the sin. He took

the sin of the world and he took the punishment that that sin deserves. My sin and your sin, he took

deserves. My sin and your sin, he took it. And he took the punishment that we

it. And he took the punishment that we deserve that we are worthy of receiving and his body died and they borrowed a tomb and they put him in there and on

the third day he rose again defeating death, defeating hell.

That way we can repent of our sin. We

can put our trust in Jesus. And what

happens? He gives us his it's his merit.

It's his perfection. It's what what he has. He now freely gives to us because

has. He now freely gives to us because we trust in him and we can find forgiveness in him and we don't have to face the punishment that our sin

deserves. It's this free gift.

deserves. It's this free gift.

We look at the gospel and that's what we see. We look at the gospel and that's

see. We look at the gospel and that's what we need to cling to. We need to cling to this truth that we have the hope of eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

So when we're tempted to complain, we need to remember what why is it that we complain sometimes. Sometimes we

complain sometimes. Sometimes we complain because we think that we deserve better.

We think, don't I deserve better than this? Haven't I haven't I done enough?

this? Haven't I haven't I done enough?

And have I just really think that I it's like an entitlement. I deserve better.

Well, we don't need to complain thinking that we deserve better because when we look at the gospel, we see the truth.

And the truth is that we actually deserve far worse far worse than what we are receiving.

But we're not receiving that because of what Christ has done because we're trusting in him.

And the idea is that uh as we're trusting in this and and as we're clinging to the gospel and we're saying, "God, I'm not going to complain because you've provided for me far more than than I what I could ever have deserved.

you're providing all this for me. I'm

not going to complain. As we're holding fast to it, as we're clinging to it, it's also this idea that we're we're holding it out, that we're holding it forth, that the world, this crooked and

twisted generation, they're looking at us and they're seeing that difference in us. It's a testimony to the gospel. It's

us. It's a testimony to the gospel. It's

a testimony to God's goodness. Whenever

we say, "I got all this that I could complain about, but I'm not going to complain about it because I know that I'm not worthy of anything better. I'm

worthy of a whole lot worse." But

through Christ, through what he's done, I I know that I'm not getting what I deserve.

And if we can cling to that, if we can hold fast to that truth, when we're tempted to complain, it's going to make us go, Lord, I don't deserve any of that stuff that I wish that I had. I don't I

don't deserve, God, I'm thankful for what you've given me. I'm thankful for what you've allowed me to have. I'm

thankful for my salvation. I'm thankful

for the way that you blessed me.

It's going to totally change our attitudes in this.

So, the fix is to say, God, you're worthy to be trusted.

You're worthy to be trusted, and I'm going to trust you.

And just a couple chapters after where we're at now in Philippians 2, you look at Philippians 4, you see in verses 10 to13, the Apostle Paul says this, "I

rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me.

You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound in any and every circumstance. I have

learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. And then the verse that I think we all know, Philippians 4:13, I can do all things

through him, through Christ who strengthens me.

I'm going to cling to the gospel. I'm

going to cling to Christ. I'm going to look to the cross. I'm going to think about how blessed I actually am in all of this. And that's going to keep me

of this. And that's going to keep me content to realize that I don't deserve I don't deserve anything. What I do deserve is

deserve anything. What I do deserve is that punishment, but I'm not getting it through Christ. And this is this is a

through Christ. And this is this is a guy these words, this is a man who just trusted God completely, who trusted God fully.

The Apostle Paul, we know his story.

This is a man who uh who was stoned to the point of where they thought he was dead. They left him to die.

dead. They left him to die.

He got up and what did he do? He walked

to the next city to go spread the gospel some more. He's thrown in prison for

some more. He's thrown in prison for sharing the gospel and he's singing hymns to God and he's sharing the gospel with prison guards. This this guy, this

man, we think about it, he had a whole lot more to complain about than you and I probably ever will.

But he writes this and says, "I've learned how to be content in all things through Christ who gives me strength.

got to cling to the gospel, cling to that that truth that's going to keep us from complaining. U my grandfather um

from complaining. U my grandfather um long time ago was uh diagnosed with cancer and throughout his whole the many years that he had cancer, I

never heard him complain.

I did not hear him complain about the pain. I didn't hear him complain about

pain. I didn't hear him complain about anything. There was an opportunity uh

anything. There was an opportunity uh one one time at church. We went to the same church um small church and he got to stand before the church, update everybody on his health and uh just let everybody know how he's doing. And he

used that as an opportunity. He actually

looked at his church family and said, "I know this is going to sound counterintuitive."

counterintuitive." He said, "But I'm actually thankful that God gave me this cancer."

Like when you come to me and say, "I'm so sorry." He's like, "You don't need to

so sorry." He's like, "You don't need to be sorry. I'm actually glad. I'm

be sorry. I'm actually glad. I'm

thankful to the Lord that he gave me this because he was seeing that through it whenever he has the right attitude it's conforming him to the image of Christ so

much more that he's becoming like Christ as he as he goes through these difficulties and he's trusting the Lord he's becoming more like Christ and he's thankful for

that and he was thankful because this this cancer diagnosis had given him opportunity to share the gospel to witness to the goodness of God,

opportunities that he did not have before.

So the cancer eventually it got to his brain and he passed away. And we were at his memorial service and there were countless people who were approaching the family and saying

similar things, saying, "I just want you to know that the faith of your grandfather was inspiring.

His faith was uh it it convicted me of my lack of trust in God.

made me see that he's not complaining and I'm complaining about the things that, you know, comparatively aren't as bad and I need to stop complaining. I

just need to trust God. We've heard

stories like that one after another. And

uh there were even people that he met through his chemotherapy treatments, the the nurses there who when he was entering the last couple weeks of his life,

he made such an impact on them because they said he was so kind.

He didn't complain.

So they came to his memorial service and and they heard the gospel preached and they're pointing to his example. He was

was shining in in this dark world because he was saying, "I'm just I trust God." He said, "I'm not going to dare

God." He said, "I'm not going to dare speak ill against God and what he's got planned for me because I trust him."

What a great opportunity we have in the midst of this world to to take all of the hardships and all the things that we go through, all the things about our life that we wish were

different and say, you know what, I'm not going to complain about it. Not

going to grumble. I'm not going to be the cause of any disputes.

What a great opportunity we have for that to to witness to other people, for other people to see the goodness and the trustworthiness of our God through our

attitude of saying, "I'm not going to complain. I'm not going to grumble."

complain. I'm not going to grumble."

It's a great opportunity that we have to be shining like lights in this dark and this twisted generation. So, let's say we're going to refuse to complain. We're

going to trust God.

Let's pray.

Lord, thank you that you are clear to us in your word about this issue. That you

point out to us that this is a sin, that you hate it. We can see passage after passage that it's a problem. Lord,

please help us to recognize to to evaluate our own lives and to diagnose the complaining that we are doing. help

us to see that it's um it's exposing this lack of trust in you that we need to trust you enough to say, "Lord, I'm going to I'm not going to complain about what I'm facing. I'm not going to grumble about my life because I trust

you." That we want to be these

you." That we want to be these these positive, these good, these winsome witnesses to the world around us. And help us to do that, God. Help us

us. And help us to do that, God. Help us

to be blameless and innocent by the way that we will trust you. Let

people see that. Let people notice that about our lives. Let it give us opportunities to share the gospel with the people around us. God, please help us to live this way in a way that's honoring and pleasing to you.

Lord, we love you. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

name. Amen.