WHY IS COMPLAINING SUCH A BIG DEAL TO GOD?
Phip. 4:8
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: WHO DO I SHOOT?
1. A new soldier was on sentry duty at the main gate. His orders were clear. No car was to enter unless it had a special sticker on the windshield.
2. A big Army car came up with a general seated in the back. The sentry said, "Halt, who goes there?" The chauffeur, a corporal, said, "General Wheeler."
3. "I'm sorry, I can't let you through. You've got to have a sticker on the windshield." The general said, "Drive on!"
4. The sentry said, "Hold it! You really can't come through. I have orders to shoot if you try driving in without a sticker."
The general repeated, "I'm telling you, son, drive on!"
5. The sentry walked up to the rear window and said, "General, I'm new at this. Do I shoot you or the driver?"
6. Sometimes, the trick in times of war is knowing who to shoot. In the heat of battle, armies frequently experience casualties due to "friendly fire", and the church suffers in the same way.
B. TEXT
1. “Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.” Num. 11:1
C. THESIS
1. We’re going to look tonight at the practice of complaining, Paul’s remedy for a healthy mind, and steps to new thought patterns.
2. The title of this message is “Why Is Complaining a Big Deal to God?”
I. THE CASE AGAINST COMPLAINING
A. MANY SEE COMPLAINING AS BENEFICIAL OR INNOCUOUS
1. To most people complaining is not a big deal. People think complaining is a natural part of life, a way to blow off steam, it makes us feel better, and helps develop camaraderie with our friends – we share the same negative experiences.
2. Even some professional counselors think complaining is A GOOD THING! Psychology Today (4/23/16) featured an article, “The Value of Complaining.” One blog, philforhumanity.com, published the piece, “Complaining is Good for You.”
3. Is this true? Is complaining actually GOOD for you? If so, then why does God get angry with complaining? Evidently God knows something about complaining that we don’t.
B. REASONS COMPLAINING IS BAD
1. A WASTE OF TIME. Since complaining isn't solutions-oriented, a complaining session doesn't make anything of value: it’s a waste of time. [Dave Stuart Jr.]
2. IT EXAGERATES THE PROBLEM. This was evident in Numbers 14. To the 10 spies, the people of Canaan weren’t just 3 feet taller, but “giants!” The walls of the cities weren’t just tall, but “walled up to the skies!” It’s the tendency of complainers to exaggerate their problems for sympathy or attention.
3. IT SPREADS THE NEGATIVE TO OTHERS.
a. We cause others to experience our bad view. We don’t need to hide our heads in the sand, but neither do we need to know everything bad that happens in the world. Too much sun makes a desert; too much water makes a flood. What we need is balance. Don’t go looking for trouble; enough will come to you on its own.
b. “We have no more right to put our discordant states of mind into the lives of those around us and rob them of their sunshine and brightness, than we do to enter their houses and steal their silverware.” - Julia Moss Seton.
c. Happiness is a choice. So is contentment! BUILD UP the Body of Christ, DON’T TEAR it down. If you’re a part of something, then SPEAK WELL OF IT, as far as is possible.
4. IT BREEDS DOUBT AND UNBELIEF. Complaining is focusing on the problem to the exclusion of God. Faith in God’s ability and compassion are omitted. Therefore much complaining is atheistic – there is no God to save.
5. OUR CONFESSION CAN SAVE US (Rom. 10:9) OR NEGATIVELY AFFECT US. “…you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth” Prov. 6:2. Saying negative things about ourselves can help them come to pass because we’re including them in our possibilities.
6. IT’S TOXIC TO YOUR PROGRESS. Leadership coach Rick Tamlyn explains that complaining has a TOXIC EFFECT ON our ability to PROGRESS. Your progress as a Christian is killed by a complaining spirit, because you’re not developing the Spirit-filled nature (love, joy, peace…) but the CARNAL nature.
7. BRING INTO QUESTION GOD’S CHARACTER – whether He will provide for us or not. Complaining is a form of ingratitude; we’re saying God’s not taking care of His business good enough.
8. But worst: A NEGATIVE ATTITUDE BECOMES INTERNALIZED INTO A NEGATIVE PERSONALITY! Ultimately the habit of complaining can become a permanent feature that turns us into bitter, negative people.
C. “OH, I’M NOT REALLY A COMPLAINER!”
1. Most people don’t think they’re complainers. But trainer Rick Tamlyn suggests you track how many negative thoughts and words you express every day, versus the positive ones. The tally may surprise you.
2. Changing how you think and talk is key, says Tamlyn, who believes changing the way we talk about our lives can be one of the most essential ways to move toward the…life [God] wants [us to have].
II. PAUL’S REMEDY FOR AN UNHEALTHY MIND AND TONGUE
A. TEXT
1. “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy —think about such things.” Phip. 4:8
2. Why would Paul even say this? Because this kind of thinking is more HEALTHY and more in line with how God thinks than pessimistic, aggrieved thinking.
3. “As a he thinketh in his heart, so is he” Prov. 23:7, in other words, the subject matter you mostly think about is what you’re going to become.
B. ILLUSTRATION
1. In Natural Bridge Caverns near San Antonio are beautiful stalagmites and stalactites. They are rock pillars formed over thousands of years.
2. A single drop of water found its way from the surface to the roof of the cave and dropped, leaving a tiny amount of sediment. Each succeeding drop added further imperceptible amounts until an icicle began to form.
3. After thousands of years, they become massive pillars of stone, the accumulation of millions of drops!
C. APPLICATION
1. The average person has 10,000 thoughts a day. Those thoughts, like drops, accumulate and solidify to form a monument of our lives, whether good or bad.
2. If we master our thoughts and are filled with the Spirit and let Him order our thoughts, the “pillar” of our accumulated thought-life will be a beautiful, jeweled column. If we let pride, jealousy, discord, and selfishness dominate our thoughts, the “pillar” of our accumulated thought-life will be a condensation of poison, bitterness, and toxic substances, unworthy to occupy heaven’s fair country.
III. STEPS TO NEW THOUGHT PATTERNS
A. PRAY
1. Ask God to help you control your thoughts. The fact that Paul told us to “think these kinds of thoughts” clearly means it’s within our power to do so.
2. WE CAN CONTROL OUR THOUGHTS. IT’S A MATTER OF CHOICE. WILL YOU CHOOSE TO MASTER YOUR THOUGHTS?
B. MEMORIZE, MEDITATE ON THE WORD OF GOD
1. Our minds are like computer memory banks.
2. We’ve entered/ recorded a lot of bad past and bad thoughts. A passing thought calls up that old data.
3. We must create new data memory areas and replace the old data storages with one new ones.
4. We must saturate our minds with Scripture. Pick out keys scriptures that speak to your life and memorize them.
5. Ps. 119:11 says, “I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against God.”
C. BLOCK & REPLACE BAD THOUGHTS
1. When you catch yourself thinking an unhealthy thought, stop it and quote a Scripture as a replacement thought.
2. Or sing a Christian song until the errant thought has been overwhelmed.
3. As you keep doing this, moment by moment, day by day, the normal course of your mind will be altered to a new course closer to God and His thoughts.
D. DO WHAT JESUS DID when bad thoughts came to Him.
1. When Jesus fasted in the wilderness 40 days and nights, He was tempted 3 times by the devil. A thought came into His mind which He detected as from the evil one. The first was…
2. “The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[Deut. 8:3]” Matt. 4:3-4.
3. The devil questioned His Sonship and challenged Him to prove it by an unnecessary miracle. Jesus “answered” or parried the thought with an answer from the Word of God, Deut. 8:3, which He had already memorized.
4. The devil’s temptations are like a sword thrust at you. “The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God” Eph. 6:17. When you quote the Word back to the enemy, it’s like slashing him with a sword. A few blows from you and he will flee.
E. STRATEGY FOR VICTORY
1. The devil always tempts you at your weakest point, usually it’s the same areas where he’s tempted you before.
2. So determine your areas of vulnerability. Then find scriptures which apply to that area, and commit them to memory.
3. Then when the devil comes to tempt you there, you have a ready answer for him – God’s sword to slice him.
4. Tell the devil he won’t win. Renounce him and declare that you choose Christ now. He will flee.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. A study was done of seminary students to see if longevity as a Christian made them happier and more mentally healthy.
2. There was little difference between new Christians and long-term Christians. But then a significant factor emerged:
3. “Students who practiced almost daily Scripture meditation for three years or longer were significantly healthier and happier than students who did not meditate on Scripture daily.” [Paul Meier, M.D.]
4. This confirmed the truth, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” Rom. 12:2, and, “Be made new in the attitude of your minds…” Eph. 4:23.
5. The key to victorious and happy Christian life is being saturated in the Word of God, and putting it into practice
B. THE CALL
1. Has complaining been a regular part of your life? It’s time to change that and start letting positive thoughts dominate your life.
2. “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy —think about such things” Phip. 4:8.
3. Will you pledge to start being more positive? Will you begin practicing a daily scripture memory program of some sort? There are many helps on the Internet; YOU CAN DO THIS!
4. Let’s pray!
