How many of you know somebody who complains all the time? How many of you are that person? Well, after today’s message, some of you will find help with the problem of complaining while others of you will no doubt find something else to complain about.
Through-out Scripture, we read of people complaining about one thing or another. But if there's one group that’s known for complaining more than any other, it has to be the Israelites in the Old Testament.
They’d been slaves in Egypt. They had one prayer, “God, get us out.” So God raised up a leader, Moses, and God brought 10 miraculous plagues upon the Egyptians, and changed the heart of Pharaoh, who let them go. Then Pharaoh changed his mind and sent the army after them. They were trapped. The Red Sea on one side and Pharaoh’s armies on the other. So what did God do? He parted the Red Sea! The Israelites walked through on dry ground. Then Pharaoh’s army followed, but God closed the sea, and destroyed them. They’re now a free people, headed for the land of Promise. God feeds them miraculously (Exodus 16:11), gives them water from a rock (Exodus 17:6), makes their clothes and shoes where they never wear out (Deuteronomy 29:5), and what do they do? They complained.
(READ TEXT)
“Do everything without complaining or arguing.” - Philippians 2:14 (NIV)
Let’s see what lessons we can learn from the bad example of the Israelites about how we can avoid being a complaining people.
1. Explaining our complaining. We complain because . . .
A. We have a faulty memory.
In the margin of my Bible I’ve written, “We always remember the past as better than it was.” That is certainly true of the Israelites. The way the talk about life in Egypt, you’d have thought they were part of the ruling class! They’d forgotten about their enslavement and the bricks they had to manufacture. All they remembered was sitting around pots of meat, eating all the food they wanted. They had a faulty memory. Often, like the Israelites, we are led to complain about the present based on untrue memories about the past.
B. We don’t know the facts.
This one is closely associated with the first reason for our complaining. The reason why we have untrue memories of the past is that we do not know the facts. Not does ignorance of the facts regarding the past result in false memories about the present; ignorance of the facts can lead to false impressions about the present. That’s what was true of the Israelites, “you have brought us out into this desert place to starve this entire assembly to death.”
“Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.” - Proverbs 17:28 (NLT)
There is nothing intelligent about complaining about things about which we do not know the facts. As the old saying goes:
“Better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.” - Anonymous
C. We engage in stinking thinking.
The fact is, we find what we’re looking for. A realtor was showing a family different homes, none of which they were pleased with. They then asked the realtor, “What are the people like in this town?” The realtor replied, “What were the people like where you came from?” They said, “They were judgmental, busy bodies and gossips. They just weren’t very nice people.” The realtor said, “You’ll probably going to find people in this town are the same.”
The next day, another family looked at the same houses and had noting but positive things to say. They also asked, “We’re curious, what are the people like in this town?” The realtor replied, “Well, what are the people like in the town you came from?” They smiled and said, “They're great! We had so many great friends there it’s really hard for us to leave.” The realtor answered, “Well, I've got good news for you! Chances are, you are going to discover the people in this town are a lot like the ones in the town you came from.”
If you want to complain, you’ll find plenty of things to complain about. You find what you’re looking for. That’s stinking thinking.
D. We value our preferences over God’s purposes.
What was God up to in leading them through the desert? Numbers 14:22 indicates God took them through ten tests by which they might grow in faith and trust Him as they entered the Promised Land.
Sadly, because they were more interested in their worldly comfort than in godly character, they consistently chose to complain and disobey God each of the ten times; and as a result, were not ready to enter into God’s ultimate purpose for them - to live in the land of promise, where they would be protected and provided for by the power of God, and thus point other nations to also turn to God as their Savior.
E. Everyone else is doing it.
Too often, we just can’t resisted climbing aboard the “complain train.”
2. Refraining from complaining.
A. Recognize the consequences.
“Murmuring is the rising up of oneself against God. It sets oneself against God as if I am wiser than He.”
- Puritan Preacher, Thomas Watson
“I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: In this wilderness your bodies will fall - every one of you twenty years old or more . . . not one of you will enter the land . . .’” - Numbers 14:27b-30a (NIV)
It has been said that if we are unwilling to pray, “Thy will be done,” Then God will say to us, “OK. Thy will be done!”
The problem, of course, is our will cannot begin to compare to God’s plans for us. Therefore, we want to make sure we do not do things that will cause us to miss out on God’s best. The Bible tells us that constant complaining is one surefire way to miss out on God’s best.
B. Recognize that the heart of the matter is a matter of the heart.
Is my heart given over to God? Have I surrendered my life each day I live to His plan for my life? What is most important to me, God’s calling or my comfort? The condition of my heart is revealed through the words of my mouth - and complaining reveals that my heart is not fully surrendered to God’s plan for my life.
“For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.” - Matthew 12:34b-36 (NIV)
Some sociologists believe smaller families are contributing to our entitled mindset, which leads to complaining. Smaller families tend to conform to the desires of the children. So, for example, mom asks the child, “What would you like for dinner?” The child says, “I'd like . . .” and mom makes what the child what they want. But that doesn’t work in large families. The result would be chaos. No, in large families, mom decides what’s for dinner, it’s served,
and if you don’t like it, your brother or sister says, “Thank God, there’s more for me!” Because there’s not always enough.
Now, that’s an interesting theory that might explain why our society is so entitled today and why so many people are prone to complain.
Families are dysfunctional whenever the children are in charge and the parents are not. And when families are dysfunctional, so is our society. Which is true of our culture today. We live in an entitlement culture. But such should not be true of those who are in God’s family.
You see, in God’s family, we are His children and he is the parent. That means He knows what is best. That means He does not submit to us, we submit to Him. He is God and we are not. He has a redemptive work He is bringing to fruition in this world and He allows us a part in that work, which we are privileged to be part of.
You see, God’s the center of the story. He’s the main character, not us. He doesn’t exist to serve us. God isn’t on the throne saying, “Oh no! They’re upset again, let me try to make them happy!” No! We exist to serve Him. He’s the King of Kings, not me. He’s the Lord of Lords, not me. I exist to glorify Him. He is the main character, I am not. And when I complain, it’s because I think I’m the main character; at it’s root complaining reveals a heart that isn’t right with God.
Conclusion: Now, are Christians exempt from problems? Of course not! But there is a difference between facing problems and creating problems. And the difference often has to do with our trust in God.
“Do you have any problems? You do? Well, congratulations! Because, as Christians, we have a relationship with God that gives us insight, wisdom, and power to see an opportunity in every difficulty!” - Adrian Rogers
Christians can be problem starters or problem solvers. It all depends on whether or not in our heart, we choose to trust that God. He always knows what’s best and can show us how to proceed; but we got to quit complaining and start seeking and listening to Him!
