SHINNING STARS
PHILIPPIANS 2:14-16
03/01/95
There was once an artist who sought to depict on canvas the meaning of evangelism. He began by painting a storm at sea. He had painted black clouds filling sky with a flash of lighting coming down from the heavens. In the raging sea he had painted a boat that seemed to be being destroyed by the pounding sea. He also painted men, some struggling in the swirling waters, some clinging desperately on the sides of the sinking boat, all with looks of terror on their faces. The only hope appeared in the foreground of the painting, where a huge rock protruded out of the water. There, clutching desperately to the rock with both hands, was one lone seamen.
It was a very beautiful and moving painting. From looking at it one could see that the tempest was a symbol of the hopeless situation of mankind. And true to the gospel, that only hope of salvation was "the Rock of Ages", the only hope amidst the storm.
But as the artist looked at the painting he realized that something was wrong. In order to correct his error he discarded the painting and went to work on another. It was very similar to the first. It had the black clouds, the flashing lighting, the angry waters, the little boat being crushed by the pounding waves, the crew struggling vainly against the waters. In the foreground the seamen was still clutching the large rock for salvation. But the artist had made one change: the seaman was only holding on with one hand, and with the other he was reaching down to pull up a drowning friend.
That is how it should be with all Christians. We should be reaching out to the world with Gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to be as Paul states in our passage for today, "shinning lights" or as the NIV puts it "shinning stars". "holding out the word of life."
Let us turn to our passage for today, which is Philippians 2:14-16. I will be reading from the NIV, you may follow along on page 1017 of your pew Bibles. We are going to be spending the next couple weeks on this passage of scripture of Scripture as we look at some things concerning being "shinning stars".
Beginning with verse 14, "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not ran labor for nothing"
As I stated we will be looking at this passage over the next couple weeks as look at the importance of shinning like stars in the perverse and depraved generation. We will begin today by looking at what Paul is telling us in verse 14 in regards to be shinning stars.
We noted last week that we are to work out our own salvation, this is the beginning of our shinning as stars. We also noted that we have the hope or assurance of being successful because it is God who works in us.
In verse 14 Paul notes two things that will hinder us for shinning like stars. Paul states first of all that we are to do "all things without complaining", Or as the NKJ puts it "murmuring". In other words as we serve the Lord we should do it with out whining about it.
It is interesting to note that the word Paul uses hear is the same word used in the Septuagint, which the Greek translation of the Bible, which Jesus and Paul would have been very familiar with. But this word is the same word the Septuagint uses for the what the Israelites where doing when they were in the wilderness. Now I am quite sure that Paul had this in mind when he uses this word. He is thinking that we should not be like those Israelite people were in the desert. Always complaining, always murmuring against God.
If you look at the Israelite people and us as Christians us can’t help but notice some similarities.
1. We both began in bondage
a. They in Egypt
b. Us under the bondage of sin
2. Freed for the bondage by an divine act of God, both interestingly enough through the death of a first born Son.
3. Wanderings
a. Israelite wandered through the desert for forty years. MURMUR
b. Christian wander through life going through struggles, temptations, etc. MURMUR.
4. Promised land
a. Canaan
b. Heaven
So we see the Israelites kind of symbolized that walk of the Christian. So Paul tells don’t murmur and complain as they did, but be cheerful servants of the Lord your God.
Now there are certain things which cause us top murmur or complain. The first is what we see as unfair suffering. Many times we do not understand the reason’s why certain things happen to us.
Again we can us the Israelite people to illustrate this for us. God had set them free from being slaves in Egypt, he provided for them in the wilderness but they still looked at their wanderings as suffering. If fact they wanted to go back. What they failed to realize that the suffering they were enduring in the wilderness was far better the sufferings they would have suffered had they gone back to Egypt of if they had remained. So instead of realizing that they were now in a much better situation they complained.
Now Christians are they same way. We murmur about our circumstance without the realization that we are much better off where we are then if God were not present in our lives. What we may suffer now is far better then what we would suffer if God did not free us from our bondage. And just as it was with the Israelites God knows exactly how much suffering we can bear. And like the Israelite, God only allows those things to happen to use that are useful to us.
Realize that God allows suffering not to dim our light, but to strength our light, and make it glow even brighter.
So as Paul states don’t murmur or complain in your sufferings, but find joy in them, just as Paul does.
Another cause of murmurings or complaining is unthankfulness. Complaining show how unthankful we are for the things we have.
Look again at the Israelites. Talk about an ungrateful group. Look at all God did for them. He free them for slavery, gave them protection, gave them food, did not allow their cloths to wear out. Were that grateful? No. They complained that it wasn’t enough.
Just like us. God has freed us for the slavery of sin, He protects us, provides for us, and are we grateful, sometimes, but most of time we, I know I do, complain that is isn’t enough. We always complain that is not enough to do what he would have us to do. Or that it is not enough to make us happy. It’s not exactly what we want. Our complaining boils down to the fact that we unthankful, plain and simple.
Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without the love of material things, and be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
We need to be content and thankful with what we have. After the Lord as promises us that He will NEVER leave us, nor will He ever forsake us.
The third thing which cause us to murmur and complain is our lack of faith. We as humans, for the most part, just cannot get it through a little minds that God is in control. We, simply stated, do not take God at His word.
With our lips we say we have faith in Him, that He is sovereign, that He is in control. But with our actions and murmuring, we call Him a liar.
We think to ourselves if God was in charge this wouldn’t be happening to me, or I would have this or that.
Listen to one of the Israelites complaint in the wilderness;
Numbers 21:5 "And the people spoke against God and against Moses: "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread."
What the Israelites are basically saying is this. God you lied to us. You said we were going to promised land, when all along you wanted to kill us in the wilderness. I think at times our actions say that same thing. Instead of being cheerful at what the Lord has done for us we walk around in a constant state of misery.
Murmuring about our present state simply because we lack that faith that God is in charge, and He knows what He is doing, and He knows what is best for us.
Take God’s word as truth believe the Lord Jesus when He tells us;
"Therefore do not worry, saying, ’What shall we eat?’ or’ What shall we drink?’ or ’What shall we wear?’ "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
Let us show our faith.
So until we realize that we never suffer unfairly, until we are thankful for the many thing that Lord has done for us, and until we gain the faith we that we should have, we cannot be the light God would have us to be. We cannot shine as the stars.
The next thing which Paul mentions in verse 4 which will hinder our shinning as stars is arguing or as the NKJ states disputing.
Now that sounds like a simple kind of thing to obey. We are simply not to argue with one another. Now realize that Paul is not speaking of just disagreeing with one another. We are not mindless robots that will agree on ever issue. What Paul is teaching is that we are not to argue with one another to the point of division. To the point that fellowship is broken.
Paul is stating that there is no way that you can shine as you ought to if you are fighting with one another, it just is not going to happen.
Paul addresses this very issue in his second letter to Timothy where he writes;
"But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will."
The Scripture teaches us that we must handle our differences with attitudes of gentleness, patience, and humility. Disagreement should arise not from people disagreeing with us but from people disagreeing with God.
We need to also handle our disagreements with long-suffering, and forgiveness. In dealing with disagreements we must give to people what the Lord Jesus has given to us, listen to Colossians 3:12-13 "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do."
So while we can never hope to erase disagreements all together, Scripture makes note of how we are to handle those disagreements. We need to realize that one the things that drives people away from Christian church is what people preserve as arguing and infighting. People see a sense of disunity when they see Christian viciously arguing with one another. No one wants to be part of that.
So in order for us to shine as we should Paul tells us to refrain from arguing, and disputing.
Is in conclusion I think we need to examine ourselves and see if we are guilty of the very things which Paul warns against here. Are these things preventing us from shining as stars. Do we walk around in a constant state of misery and gloom. What do we tell people of Christian beliefs when we act like this. We need to do away with those things that prevent us from shinning.
We need to realize that God does not permit unfair sufferings. If fact Christians do not get what they truly deserve.
We need to be thankful that we have been given so much by our God. If salvation were the only thing the Lord did for us, it would be more them we ever deserve and more then we could ever thank Him for.
We also need to grow in faith of the Lord not just say we believe Him but act like it. How can we convince the world of the truths of the gospel is all we do is murmur and complain.
We need not fight with one another but treat each other as Christ treated us, with the amazing thing called grace, that thing we find so difficult to give to others.
I with Paul call on you do ALL things, without complaints without murmuring, and without fighting with another. Because we so desperately need to shine like stars in this crooked and depraved generation. A generation that so in need of light.
SHALL WE PRAY
