THE SIN OF COMPLAINING - THE OPPOSITE OF THANKSGIVING
Lamentations 3:39
Thanksgiving or complaining -- these words express two contrasting attitudes found in God’s children in regard to His dealings with them.
The soul that gives thanks can find comfort in everything; the soul that complains can find comfort in nothing.
On the highway leading into Yankton, South Dakota reads: “Yankton, S.D. The Home of 30,000 friendly people and a few sore-heads.” The truth is all of us at times become sore-heads. Now, we may know it by different terms -- such as griping, grumbling, whining, or belly-aching. In the King James the common term used was “murmuring.” Regardless of the word we use to describe it, complaining always has the has the same symptoms. The dictionary defines it as “an expression of unhappiness, dissatisfaction, or discontent.” Complaining is the outward expression of discontent from within.
A certain man, well-known for his constant complaining, inherited a large sum of money. When he got it, he complained about how it was not much as he thought it should be. He bought a farm and asked his wife what she thought he should name it. She quickly answered, "Why don’t you call it ‘Belly Acres’?" Now, this message probably won’t apply to most of you this morning. I’m sure that none of you have a problem with complaining, but you probably know some one who needs to hear this.
Complaining seems to have become the great American past time. We live in a very complaining society. People grip about everything.
Complaining does seem to be a popular pastime. People reach the peak of satisfaction when they are complaining. Couples get together for an evening of fellowship and, the first thing you know, someone is complaining about someone or something. Employees complain about the company for which they work. Students complain about teachers and workloads. Complaining seems to be normal procedure these days.
Complaining is so common these days that it could be called a way of life for many people. Just about everybody complains. And why not? There’s so much to complain about: teachers, traffic, taxes, and troubles of all kinds!
But the commonness of complaining does not make it right. The Word of God comes down pretty hard on the sin of complaining.
Preschoolers complain, "I don’t want to take nap." Children complain, "My teacher gives me to much homework." Teenagers complain, "You never let me do anything." Moms complain, "How many times to I have to tell you to make your bed?” Dads complain, "I work hard all week and then when I come home you get on my case about painting."
Somebody has said on the seventh day God rested and on the 8th day God started answering complaints.
Few sins are as ugly to God as the sin of complaining.
There seems to be very little thankfulness or gratitude today among God’s people but a whole lot of complaining.
Complaining is part of our culture, but it sure isn’t anything new. Who was the first complainer? Adam-- "the woman who thou gavest to be with me."
Complaining is one of the most prevalent sins among Christians. Those who would never think of committing ery or are guilty of this sin.
All complaining is against God and His providential will for your life. To murmur, to grumble, to complain against God is a sin and we must recognize it as such.
Do Christians living in America today know the dangers of complaining? We obviously don’t think too much of it, we all seem to do it.
Complaining is a symptom of a deep seated spiritual problem-- a failure to trust God and a failure to be submissive to His providential provision in your life.
Complaining is a serious sin -- we tend to take it very lightly, evidenced by the fact that we do it so often. But God s complaining (Numbers 11:1).
Christians who complain about their circumstances would do well to ponder this sobering verse and its background. God had greatly blessed His people, Israel, delivering them supernaturally from slavery in Egypt, protecting them against their enemies - even miraculously supplying daily bread and water for them in the desert.
Still they complained: complained about their food; complained about the imaginary luxuries they had left behind in Egypt; complained against their leaders. "And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and His anger was kindled" (Numbers 11:1). Finally, when they complained about the manna, "the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly."
Let me give you three reasons why God s complaining and is displeased with it:
I. Complaining DENIES God’s Sovereignty.
“Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice,” asked Pharaoh. The sovereign God of the universe showed his power. The Israelites leave Egypt wealthy and go through the Red Sea on dry land, and God destroys their enemies.
Their success in entering the promise land depended on the Sovereignty of God, so when they murmur and complain against Moses and Aaron, they are calling to question God’s ability to carry out his will.
Complaining, of course, is just the surface symptom of a much deeper problem--discontent. This is why the Bible so strongly condemns complaining. The murmurings and grumblings of complaint are evidence that we are dissatisfied with the way God is doing things. The solution to this problem is to recognize our sin and then realize and acknowledge that our heavenly Father always knows what’s best for us--even down to the little problems He allows us to face.
Every complaint against our circumstances, every grumble about the weather, about the way people treat us, about the daily trials of life, is directed against the One who works all things after the counsel of his own will (Ephesians 1:11).
Who am I to put the Almighty God under cross-examination? Am I in a better position than He to judge what is and is not good for me? How far can I see into the future? Who am I to strike out against God with complaining?
Paul, in Acts 16, is in a Philippian jail and you don’t see Paul complaining but rejoicing. He trusted God’s sovereignty.
One big problem with our complaining is that it focuses on what’s frustrating us and it forgets about the big picture. For example, these people in Numbers 11 went on to complain about their wilderness diet. They went on to talk about what great food they had in Egypt. They forgot they were slaves there!
When we get all nearsighted and just looking at the irritations and the frustrations in front of us, we lose our perspective, we blow today’s problems way out of proportion, and we forget the larger picture of the great things that God is doing in our lives. We miss the big tapestry. The big picture includes God’s sovereignty.
Complaining is always an expression of unbelief toward God’s sovereignty in our life.
Complaining is unbelief in God’s Word which says “...all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). If the Christian really believes that the Lord is in control of their life, and is working “ALL THINGS together for good,” he will stop complaining and start thanking the Lord for the plan He is working together for us.
Do you complain? Don’t be too quick to answer this one. Think about it for a minute. What are your comments about the weather usually like? How do you speak about your spouse? What kinds of things do you say about your job? Do you complain about someone who didn’t treat you the way you thought you should be treated?
Religious people are some of the biggest culprits. Examine yourself in this. Are you thankful for cold weather, hot weather, rainy weather, cloudy weather, and sunny weather? Have you ever complained when the weather "ruined" your plans?” Are you truly content with what the Lord determines for you?
Complaining is directed at God who has ordered your circumstances. Complaining is the symptom of a deep seeded spiritual problem. And what is that problem? It is a failure to trust God and failure to submit to His providential will. Complaining is a deep seeded spiritual problem, it is not superficial. Complaining is distrust against God and non submission to His plan and purpose in your life. It is a serious sin. God s it, and if you want to know how serious it is, He has destroyed people for it and He says that what He did to them, slaughtering them in the wilderness, is an example to you in the end of the age of how God feels about the sin of complaining.
Have you ever heard of "bush eyes?" One time a missionary was walking along the trail with the natives when suddenly one of the natives shot his gun near the missionary. He killed a huge ly green snake in the path. The missionary did not see it at first at first. He would have stepped on it. He asked, "How come I didn’t see that?"
They walked on. Soon the native grabbed his arm and said, "Look! Do you see the leopard?" The missionary said there was no way he could see it until it moved.
He said, "Wait a minute. Why couldn’t I see it? I walk on the same path as you. You see the snake. I see a path. You point out what looks to me like shadows and stone and it becomes a leopard. Why couldn’t I see them? You know, this could be dangerous."
What was the native’s reply? He said, "You have to get your BUSH EYES." If you stay in the jungle long enough, you develop what they call "bush eyes." What an illustration - we could walk though life blind to God. All we would see would be reasons for complaint, but when the Holy Spirit is allowed to open our eyes we get "GOD EYES," and we can SEE GOD where and when no one else can see Him. We see God where others just see leaves. We see God where others just see rocks and vines. We need to see God in all things; this will stop our complaining.
II. Complaining DISRUPTS Christian unity.
See Numbers 13:30-33. They were in effect saying, "We can’t do what God has told us to do, it’s too hard, the people are too big." Would you say that verse 33 is an exaggeration?
Have you ever done that, exaggerated your problems?
See Numbers 14:36. The ten spies affected the whole
nation of Israel. The spies started the complaining, and the whole congregation picked it up. This sin is so contagious that it spreads like wildfire.
When one dogs begins to bark, a number of dogs begin to bark. When one frog begins to croak in a pond, others begin to croak.
You get one disgruntled complainer, and it won’t be long before it spreads to many.
I used to think people complained because they had a lot of problems; however, I have come to realize that they have a lot of problems because they complain.
Complaining doesn’t change anything or make situations better. It amplifies frustration, spreads discontent and discord (which God s - Prov 6:16-19).
III. Complaining DISCREDITS Christian testimony.
We talk about God and how much we love Him and how good He is, but we often live like atheists-- murmuring and complaining all the time.
See Philippians 2:14.
See Philippians 2:15 - "that ye may be." In other words, this is the very reason why we are to do all things without complaining. So that you will be a blameless, harmless, above reproach child of God. You are called to be all that a child of God should be. How you live has a dramatic impact not only on whether or not you’re consistent as a child of God."Do all things without murmurings and disputings."
A Christian who is always grumbling and complaining is harmful to the cause of Christ and the name of Christianity. Nobody likes to be around people who are always grumbling and complaining. This world is not attracted to such a person.
A young surprised her mother with a very beautiful and unexpected gift that she had purchased with her allowance. The little said, "Mom, this is for you because you work so hard and nobody seems to appreciate it around here."
Her mother attempted to be modest by saying, "Well, your father works hard, too."
The replied, "I know, but he doesn’t complain about it."
We fall apart in the midst of trials and the world says, "Where’s their God?"
Paul and Silas must have been a tremendous testimony in that Philippian jail. What if they would have been murmuring and complaining and griping about their situation? What if Silas would have said, "Paul, you big shot, you had to show off and cast the demon out of that . Now look at the trouble we’re in. Why couldn’t you just have left that demon possessed alone?"
If that dialogue had been going on between Paul and Silas do you think the jailor would have asked, "What must I do to be saved?" I doubt it! He probably would have said, "What must I do to stay away from this Christianity thing?" Believers, our testimony is important, very important. God uses our lives to influence others.
Most of the time when we grumble we don’t have any reason for doing so. Most of the people who grumble are like the man who was always complaining and never happy with anything. Such as the day when he walked into a hardware store and asked for a chain saw advertised to cut 6 trees in an hour. He came back the next day fussing, grumbling, and complaining, “This chainsaw is defective. It would only cut 1 tree and it took ALL DAY!”
The salesman said, “Let me look at it,” and reached down and started the chainsaw.
The man said, “What’s that noise?”
When we stop and think it is not long that we begin to realize how much we have been blessed.
There was once a poor lady who always complained she had no blessings for which to give thanks. Her niece gave her a missionary box with the words written on it, “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me?” The niece told her to put a penny in the box for every benefit she could discover in life. The woman replied, “Guess the heathen won’t get much out of that box. But a few pennies won’t break me, so I’ll keep count of my benefits, if there are any. The box sat all week without a penny going in.
After the next church service, which the woman didn’t attend, the niece came around to tell her about the preacher that night and how he talked about the Indians and their plight. The woman said, “Well, I’m thankful I’m where I am, not an Indian out on the reservation.”
The niece said, “That’s your first benefit.” So the woman put a penny in the box.
Several days later the woman secured a new renter for one of her rooms, and she felt she should put in another penny. After this and that happened and she dropped in her pennies, she then began to realize how many blessings were really hers. Before long the box was heavy with dozens of pennies.
Each of us has been blessed in numerous ways. The more we think about how we have been blessed the more we will be thankful.
A. W. Tozier said, “ Among those sins most exquisitely fitted to injure the soul and destroy the testimony, few can equal the sin of complaining.”
Complainers are "missionaries of misery." Complaining always hurts those around us. It takes no special skill, talent, or IQ. Any idiot can do it.
Christians should not be complainers. The Bible is clear that complaining is repulsive to our Heavenly Father and a serious sin. Thanksgiving is a good time to remind ourselves of how serious the sin of complaining is. Most of us tend to blow it off as a small thing, if we notice it all.
If someone is a drunk or has a filthy mouth, we tell them that it’s a sin, and they need to stop. But somehow when it comes to the sin of complaining, we rationalize and excuse it. It’s a vile sin.
Two boys were eating some grapes. One of them remarked, "Aren’t they sweet!"
"I guess so," the other replied, "but they’re full of seeds."
Wandering into a garden, the first boy exclaimed, "Look at those big, beautiful red roses!"
The other commented, "They’re full of thorns!"
It was a warm day, so they stopped at the store for a soft drink. After several swallows, the second youngster complained, "My bottle’s half-empty already."
The first quickly responded, "Mine’s still half-full!"
Many believers are like the negative-thinking boy in this story. They always look at life through dark glasses. Like the children of Israel in today’s Scripture, they complain and grumble when they should be praising the Lord for His gracious provision.
Conclusion
The next time you find yourself complaining, remember the three reasons God s complaining:
Complaining denies God’s Sovereignty.
Complaining disrupts Christian unity.
Complaining discredits our Christian testimony.
When thou hast thanked thy God for every blessing sent,
What time will then remain for murmurs or lament!
Praise is the best deterrent I know for complaining. Believers who keep praising the Lord usually achieve the victory over complaining.
