IT CAN’T HAPPEN ALONE
“God's Vision Requires Participation”
Our Propensity To Complain Is Directly Proportional To The Steadfastness Of Our Faith
Exodus 15:23-26, “When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means “bitter”). Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded. So Moses cried out to the Lord for help, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. Moses threw it into the water, and this made the water good to drink. It was there at Marah that the Lord set before them the following decree as a standard to test their faithfulness to him. He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.’”
Three days, three verses is the difference between Israel celebrating how God had rescued them from Egypt as they walked through the Red Sea on dry land and complaining because they did not have water. Are we as quick to forget God’s faithfulness to us and revert to grumbling and complaining and wishing for the bondage that He quite literally just delivered us from? Let us not be like Israel and remember that God also sets before us standards to test our faithfulness to Him.
John 6:61-63, “Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again? The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”
When we complain, we are deserving of the same rebuke that the disciples experienced. The best way to combat the spirit of offense is to recognize that what we all deserve is eternal death and separation from God. But because He loves us so much, He sent Jesus and called us to Himself. There is no possible way for us to save ourselves through any effort of our own - we are only able to be saved by the blood of Christ, and God is deserving of only praise, not complaining.
Ephesians 4:29, “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.”
Paul knew how disastrous complaining was to the body of Christ. He wrote to encourage the church at Ephesus to speak good, helpful, and encouraging words. When we choose to pray and seek God to direct us to solutions rather than jumping on the complaining bandwagon, people will take notice.
Philippians 2:12-16, “Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.”
When we complain, we do not display the results of our salvation. God will work in us, if we allow Him to work. Paul encourages the church at Philippi to be examples of following God’s instruction and to live lives pleasing to God so that no one can criticize them. Let us also hold firmly to the word of life, so that we too do not run the race in vain but bring glory to God alone.
COMPLAINING DEVALUES WHAT GOD HAS DONE IN OUR LIVES. WE STUNT OUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND CAN EVEN DRIFT BACKWARDS WHEN WE LACK APPRECIATION FOR ALL THAT GOD HAS PROVIDED. IN EVERY SITUATION WE CAN ASK GOD TO HELP US TO BE THANKFUL FOR HIS LOVE AND HIS BLESSINGS AND TO HELP US LIVE OUT OUR FAITH IN WAYS THAT ARE PLEASING TO HIM.
Jude 1:16-18, “These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want. But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ predicted. They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.”
Jude warns believers to be wary of people who grumble and complain as they will create divisions among those in the church. When we complain, we are not remembering what Jesus has called us to do and who He has called us to be.
PUTTING THIS INTO PRACTICE
Scripture is given to us so we can see examples of God’s faithfulness and provision and what happened when His people filled their lives with grumbling and complaining rather than the truth of His promises. We can see clearly how life is better when lived according to God’s plan. God also shows us that there are consequences for being a complainer.
Read Psalm 106.
What are some of the things the Psalmist is calling Israel to remember in this passage? What verse or verses stick out to you the most in this chapter? Why? Write out your thoughts and discuss them in your small group.
Reflect on the benefits of having Scripture written down for us to read and learn about Israel and God’s laws and what to do vs what not to do. Can you see how God is such a loving Father that He had the Holy Spirit work in the authors of Scripture to get these lessons on paper for us? Can you see how the author of Psalm 106 is calling those he is addressing through this Psalm to action, to recognize God’s faithfulness and seek Him and His will? Discuss in your small group.
There are also examples of faithfulness in adversity that we can find in Scripture. These examples are not necessarily perfect, but they recognize God’s sovereignty over our lives and our circumstances. Can you think of one such example?
Read Job 2:1-10.
After losing his children and essentially his livelihood, Job still does not curse God, but instead asks, “Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” How might you have responded under similar circumstances? What are some other thoughts or even questions that come to mind with this passage? Discuss with your small group.
We need to remember that prayer is one thing we can always do when we encounter circumstances that could result in grumbling and complaining. God does not expect us to do everything in our power alone. He wants us to call on Him for His help in every situation. Take some time to journal a prayer to God asking Him to help you to grow in remembering to call on Him first, before the first complaint comes across your lips.
Another lesson we find in Scripture is that as believers we need to actively pursue the things that please God. Complacency in our faith takes us closer to lives of grumbling and complaining.
Read 1 Corinthians 10. Why does Paul say these things were written down? What does Paul warn against? Discuss with your small group.
Have you ever experienced a time when you drifted into complacency in your faith? Think about the circumstances around that time. What are some warning signs that you can pay attention to in order to keep that from happening in the future? Discuss with your small group and come up with some ways that you can build guardrails to help your pursuit of the Lord to not waver so that you do not live a life of complaining but instead live a life of gratitude for all God has done.
Select one passage of Scripture either from the message (sermon notes available on the Anchor app) or from Deep Dive that made an impact upon you. Write it down, post it where you can see it daily, and commit to memorizing it. Take a minute to ask God what He wants you to glean from that passage, and then when He answers, step out in obedience as you walk boldly in His call for your life.
