Thank you.
Lord I thank you for this morning, Lord, and for the mercy of the Father, worship you Lord,
and bring you flesh and surface for it.
Amen.
Thank you, brother.
Let's turn to Psalm Number 10.
In our hymn of Psalm Number 10, we hear the cross.
Jesus Christ, we pray in the highest,
in the precious mountain,
in dreams and walls,
in the greatest share,
in the highest mountain,
in the most,
in my holy land,
in the highest,
In the highest,
in the highest,
In the highest,
in the highest,
In the highest,
in the highest,
In the highest,
in the highest,
In the highest,
in the highest,
In the highest,
in the highest,
In the highest,
in the highest,
In the highest,
in the highest,
In the highest,
in the highest,
In the highest,
in the highest,
In the highest,
in the highest,
In the highest,
in the highest,
In the highest,
in the highest,
In the highest,
in the highest,
In the highest,
in the highest,
murmuring. And this is more closely,
you know, this is a better,
it helps us give a better understanding of the way we understand
complaining today. Because we say complain,
we don't think about praying to God,
asking for help. When we say somebody's complaining or they have a complaint,
you know, they're murmuring often, right?
You know, murmuring is kind of like,
you know, kids get told what to do.
And rather than just saying, yes sir, yes ma'am,
they do it, but they're like, the murmuring, right?
They have something to say about it, under their breath, right?
They're not going to necessarily want to be heard, but their attitude is such
that, you know, it kind of gets out.
I'll take the trash out if I have to, I don't like it. It's kind of the murmuring, right?
That's kind of a complaining attitude. So that's what I'm talking about when I talk about
complaining. Murmuring is what we associate with
complaining today, okay? I should have gone to Exodus
with you, let me get there very quickly. Exodus chapter number
16.
If you look at verse 1, they took their journey from Elum
and all the congregation of the children of Israel came into the wilderness
of sin, which is between Elum and Sinai on the 15th day
of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt, and the whole
congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron
in the wilderness. So right here, they're murmuring.
How does this show up in our lives? How can complaining show up
in our lives? This murmuring. Well, one,
right here, we could start to blame leadership.
Right? When things start to go wrong, when we're
dissatisfied, when we're discontent, you know, people
rather than often dealing with their own hearts, rather
than actually turning inward and seeing if there's something wrong with
them and getting themselves straightened out, it's a lot easier
just to project that onto other people, right?
And a lot of times, the way they do that is they project it onto leadership.
They say, oh, it's the leader's problem. And look, obviously, Moses
was not a perfect man. You know, Moses was forbidden
from going into the Promised Land because of his own mistakes.
Right? Obviously, he was the meekest man.
He was the friend of God. He was God's leader. He was the leader
of God's people, but he's not perfect. Look, if you want to find fault
with leadership, you're not going to have to look very hard. You know,
I, as the leader of this church, if you want to find a problem with me, you know,
just go ask my wife. She'll give you a list as long as her arm.
Here's all his problems, right? She actually won't do that
because she's not one of these ladies that complains about her husband. Amen?
Ladies, don't complain about your husbands.
Husbands, don't complain about your wives. You know, you should be
loyal to your spouse. You know, we shouldn't be backbiting,
least of all the people that we're spending our lives with that we've,
you know, vowed an oath to, right? To love and to cherish.
Okay? But that's what people do, don't they? They blame,
they want to blame other people. And leadership
kind of puts itself out there because obviously leadership,
people who are in leadership, they're kind of under the spotlight more.
They're under the microscope more. People, you know, often,
sometimes people will look for problems with leadership just so that
they have an excuse to complain about something.
And look, you want to put me under a microscope and you want to examine
and you want to pick me apart, you know, it's not that hard to do.
You know, I'm not saying there's some gross fault in my life,
but look, I'm not perfect. Moses and Aaron weren't perfect.
This is, but I'm just using this as an example of,
this is how complaining and murmuring shows up in our lives.
This is the whole congregation of children of Israel murmured
against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And it was the whole
congregation. You know, this is why you have to be careful
about murmuring and complaining. It spreads.
People get bad attitudes in church, man, it can affect everyone around them.
It can spread in a church.
Look at verse 3.
And the children of Israel said unto them, would God that we had died
by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt.
This is crazy. You hear what they're saying?
You know, it would have been better at this point if we were just dead,
we died in Egypt.
It's crazy to think about that. What do you mean?
You wouldn't have seen the Red Sea crossing. I mean,
that's one of the most famous stories in all of scripture.
And you got to see that. You got to see God come down,
and you know, and fire. I mean, you got to see all these great,
you got fed with manna.
They're seeing all these great things. They got to see all these miracles.
They got to see the plagues.
And now they're saying, oh, it would have been better if we just died.
You know, when we start to complain, when we start to murmur
about the Christian life, what you'll start to do is forget how bad
you actually had it.
You'll start to dress up that old life, oh, it wasn't that bad.
You know, you start putting that lipstick on the pig.
Right? Well, it wasn't that. It doesn't look too bad.
You know, I could give that thing a kiss.
After all, it's got lipstick on it.
I don't care if you put a pearl necklace on it
and start calling it, you know, Susie or whatever.
It's still a pig!
Right? But this is what people do when they murmur and complain.
They start to complain about leadership.
And then they start to, you know, think about the old life.
Well, it wasn't really that bad. It wouldn't be really that bad
if I went back to my old sins. It really wouldn't be...
It'd be worse than when you were there initially.
You know, a lot of times people get saved, they get out of the world,
they get in church, they clean up their life,
and then if they're not careful, if they don't guard their heart
out of which are the issues of life,
they don't guard their heart, you know, and they start to complain and murmur,
they'll start to think about, oh, that old life wasn't so bad.
It wouldn't be that bad to go back to those old sins
and just forget church and go back to the old crowd
and start doing all those things.
Actually, it would be even worse than before.
Because before, when you were unsaved,
you didn't have the wrath of God.
You didn't have God as your father looking to chase you and straighten you out.
But now if you go back to those old things,
it's like, well, God's just going to follow you over there
and now not only are you going to be dealing with the consequences of skin,
but now you're going to have God tanning your eye.
You know, it would actually be worse.
But this is how... This is why complaining is such a dreaded C.
Because it'll cause us to forget how bad things really were.
That's what they're doing in the story.
And the children said unto them,
would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt,
when we sat by the flesh pots and we did eat bread to the full,
for ye have brought us forth into the wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
So they're complaining about being hungry again.
And they're thinking about the flesh pots of Egypt.
They're boiling the flesh.
Right?
They're thinking about how good they had...
They forgot about the cruel taskmasters
that were whipping them and causing them to make brick.
And then they're saying, hey, you know what?
Now go get your own hay, go get your own stubble,
and don't let the tail of bricks diminish.
Remember that towards the end when Pharaoh was getting upset?
He said, you're idle.
This is the problem with these people.
This is why they want to go worship God in the wilderness,
because they don't have enough work to do.
So they're saying, hey, keep making brick and go gather your own straw now.
Look, the world is cruel.
The way of the transgressor is hard.
The world is not your friend.
The devil is not your friend.
He's a murderer from the beginning.
He's a destroyer.
He's hell-bent on destroying anyone and everyone that he can.
But this is what complaining does.
It just blinds us to how bad things were.
And then we doll it up.
Oh, it's not that bad.
It wasn't that bad when I didn't have a good church to go to.
Maybe you had the flesh pots, but you didn't have any kind of a spiritual life.
Oh, it wasn't that bad before I got involved in the Christian life, before I started living for God.
Yeah, maybe you had some nice things.
Maybe you had some pleasure for sin for the season, but you didn't have God's blessing.
I mean, who here would say it was better before when I was unsaved?
No one would be so foolish as to say something like that.
It was better when I was on my way to hell.
No one would say that.
Yet Christians all the time will say, oh, it was better when I wasn't in church.
It was better when I didn't have to go to that church.
It was better when I didn't have to go there and listen to that guy preach.
It was better when I didn't have all these other things put on me, these expectations.
It was better when I had something other than manna.
It was better when I went to that other church where it was just purple lights and fog and graphic tees and ripped jeans and the pulpit.
And a little glass pulpit and those little things.
When he had a little flesh colored microphone next to it.
It was better when I was in that church.
That's what people will start to say.
Why? Because they're dissatisfied with the things of God.
Let's move along through Exodus chapter 16 here.
We'll move along quickly here.
In verse 3,
That's another thing people do when they start complaining.
They just start falsely accusing leadership.
You brought us out to kill us.
You came out, you brought us out here to starve us to death, Moses, Aaron.
It's like, what?
It's so off base.
Are you serious?
Moses and Aaron got together and hatched a big scheme.
Where they're going to have all these miracles take place just so they can take millions of people out in the wilderness.
Like some Jim Jones thing.
And just get everyone to drink the Kool-Aid.
Or whatever.
You're just bringing us out to kill us.
Then said the Lord unto Moses, behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you.
And the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them whether they will walk in my law or no.
God said, you know what, I hear they're complaining, I'll go ahead and feed them.
Even though they've got a bad attitude right now, I'm going to go ahead and give them manna anyway.
But notice also He's saying, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law or no.
Saying, I'll do this, but I'm going to do it so I can see where their heart's really at.
God gives us manna, God has given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness in His word.
God has given us teachers and preachers for the edifying of the saints, till we all be coming to a perfect man.
God has given us all these great things in the Christian life. God has provided for us.
But you know, a lot of times those things, they just end up revealing what's really in our hearts.
Those things will come out.
Are we going to be the type of people that are grateful for those things, that are thankful for those things, that take advantage of those things?
Or is it going to come out that we're people that just complain, and people who murmur, and people who just take the things of God for granted?
Verse 5, and it shall come to pass, on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in.
It shall be twice as much as they gather daily, so it's this great miracle that often gets overlooked.
Verse 6, and Moses Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, at even then ye shall know that the Lord hath brought you out from the land of Egypt.
And in the morning then ye shall see the glory of the Lord, for that He heareth your murmurings against the Lord.
He's not, he's not excusing their complaining. He's not excusing it.
He's saying, you know what, God's going to take care of this because He's heard your murmuring.
Because He's heard your complaining, and He's going to prove you.
And look at how he ends, and what are we that ye murmur against us?
You know, that's what, you know, that's a great lesson for leadership.
You know, a lot of times when people are complaining and murmuring against leadership, it's just like, you know, who are you really complaining about?
You know, people, people leave church, people quit churches, and there's the reason why they tell, there's the reason they tell you that they quit, and then there's the reason why they quit.
That's what I've often found.
You know, there's the reason, and they might even tell, the reason they're telling you might even be the reason that they're telling themself.
But you know what, then there's the actual real reason why they quit.
A lot of times people have these reasons, they'll complain about leadership or something like that, and it's like, is that really why you're murmuring?
Is that really why you're complaining? Who are we?
You know, if we're just getting up and preaching God's word and doing our job, and it steps on toes and makes people mad, well, you know, is it really my problem?
Is it really me, though, that's the problem?
And look, again, I'm not perfect, I'm not saying I don't make mistakes and don't do things wrong, and maybe could handle things better, maybe put on some kid gloves from now and then for people, and try to be a little bit, you know.
Quite frankly, if you haven't figured that out about me, you know, after five years, I'm pretty blunt sometimes.
I kind of wear my emotions on my sleeve, and I kind of just, but you know, that's, I kind of like people that are just straightforward.
I just like people that are just, tell me how you feel, right, even if it's ugly.
Anyway, I'm kind of going off on a rant, but the dread sees here.
The true source of their frustration is with God, that's what you see there in verse seven.
For he heareth your murmurings against the Lord, and what are we that you murmur against us? Don't blame us, your problem is with God.
That is, that's what he's saying.
And of course, if we, you know, I'll just remind us in Numbers chapter 11, right, he says, hey, I'm going to feed you here in Exodus 16.
I'm going to give you, you know, they're complaining about, it would be better to die in Egypt where at least we were eating bread to the full, we had the fleshplots.
They're complaining about that, God gives them the manna, but then they get the manna, and we just read in Numbers 11, they complain about that too.
You know, we need to learn to be satisfied, okay.
If you would, go over to Hebrews, or actually go to Matthew chapter 13, Matthew chapter 13.
We'll end up in Hebrews in a minute, but go to Matthew chapter 13.
This is the problem with complaining and murmuring about the Christian life.
Complaining and murmuring about the inevitable obstacles that you're going to come up against living for the Lord.
The unavoidable obstacles that are just inherent in the Christian life.
Because the Christian life is still life, okay.
And actually there's probably another layer of difficulty when you factor in living for God in life.
It actually makes life a little bit harder in some ways.
Right, because the world, you know, is the world waking up and trying to fight the flesh every day?
Do you think a bunch of unsafe people got up this morning and said, man, I know I should go to church, but I'm not going to go.
Do you think they had some inward struggle about the things of God this morning?
No, they woke up and they thought about, you know, they woke up probably after sleep and went off.
That's, you know, what a lot of the world does, right.
They got their bloody margarita, what is it, the Bloody Mary.
They put the raw eggs in it, you know, try to get over the hangover.
You know, and they're getting out around 11, right.
And then they're going to go and like work on their yard, or wrench on the car, or watch the game.
They're not struggling with the things of God.
Look, when we start living the Christian life, we still have the same flesh that they do to deal with.
But then it's like, but we have the responsibility and the duty to mortify our members which are on the earth.
That's command in scripture.
So, the Christian life is hard.
But if you start to complain and murmur about it, it's not going to make things better.
It's going to make things worse.
We want to get God on our side. Remember what I said in the beginning.
God can work for us or against us.
The choice is ours.
And it all comes down to our attitude.
We need to have the right attitude.
Where did I have you go, Matthew?
Let me just read some other verses before we get there.
You know, the world, they don't, they might not be complaining about some of the things that God's people might be tempted to complain about.
But that doesn't mean that the world, like the people in the world are a bunch of contented people.
Do you think unsaved people are just content, peaceful, happy people?
I mean, I'm sure there's examples of people, you know, they've got life set up nice, they're not saved.
You know, but they don't think about the things of God, they don't care about the things of God.
You know, and they might be a fairly contented people.
But you know, a lot of the world today, they're not content with life.
Even if they say they are, even if they've achieved things and gotten things, what they find out is those things don't satisfy.
I mean, you hear it all the time from these actors and all these famous people, people who have achieved success in the world and fame.
They're not happy, they're discontent.
They want to fall off the face of the earth and go back to a normal life to find some kind of peace a lot of times.
The world is a source of discontentment.
You know, if we start chasing after the flesh pots and the leeks and the onions, you know what, you might get your flesh pot,
you might get some leeks and onions, and the devil might even throw you a melon every now and then,
but you know what you're going to end up with is you're going to have a belly full of melon and some rinds in your life,
and then your stomach's going to get empty again.
And then it's going to be more melons and more leeks, and the devil will just have you chasing your tail.
The flesh will just have you chasing your tail.
He'll just have you on that proverbial hamster wheel, just going nowhere, working real hard, but not satisfied.
And then you have to drink out of that stupid thing, the water bottle.
That looked like one of the most painful ways.
Who had a pet hamster that did that?
You know, I had one.
And they'd go over there and they had to bite the ball.
It's like, man, no one taught these animals how to use a straw.
You know, not that I ever expected to see a hamster in its cage with like a little teacup or something, but you never know, right?
But that's, you know, that's kind of like the world's like.
They're just, the devil's got you in your cage, he's got some fresh mulch for you,
and some little stupid green pellets, and a little wheel that you can just run on and go nowhere.
You know, that little hamster would, you know, is probably dreaming about some green field that you can just run freely, right?
That's not the world.
The world is a source of discontentment.
The Bible says that the backslider and heart shall be filled with his own ways.
A good man shall be satisfied from himself.
Oh, the backslider and heart, he's filled with his own ways, but is he satisfied?
No, it's the good man that is satisfied from himself.
The good man, the just man, the man that walks in the ways of the Lord.
You know, that walks, doesn't walk, you know, doesn't stand in the counsel of the ungodly, doesn't sit at the swornful.
You know, he walked, his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he doth he meditate day and night.
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, which bringeth forth fruit in his own season.
You know, his leaf withereth not, right?
Psalm 1, we all know that, okay?
That's who is satisfied in this life, the good man.
The backslider and heart, the guy that's going back to Egypt, the guy that's just out there living for the things of the world,
he's filled, but he's filled with his own ways.
And his own ways do not satisfy.
A couple more verses on that point.
All things are full of labor, man cannot utter it.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
What does the Bible say in Ecclesiastes chapter 1?
It says the eye is not satisfied with seeing, the ear is not filled with hearing.
You know, you could take in all this world's entertainment, you could lust after all these things,
you could chase after all these things, and entertain yourself, fill your eyes, fill your ears.
It won't be enough.
It won't be enough. It will not satisfy.
Ecclesiastes 5, here's another big one.
This is a big one in the world.
He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver.
Keeps loving it, but it doesn't satisfy him.
The world is a source of discontentment.
It makes no sense to sit here and complain and murmur and lust after the things of the world,
complain about the Christian life, complain about having to live it,
because the things that are out in the world will not satisfy.
It's vanity, it says.
And people need to be on guard about this one.
Especially when it comes to riches, when it comes to wealth, when it comes to possessions.
This is one that the Bible talks about at length.
There's many different passages that deal with covetousness.
Take heed and beware of covetousness, Jesus said,
for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of his possessions.
That's what Jesus said. That's not what life's about.
But isn't that what the world's about?
Isn't the world all about money and wealth?
On the way to church, we stop down here, got off on the grant off-ramp,
and there's a guy begging, and he's got a hat on, it says BOSS.
The S's are dollar signs. BOSS.
If money is what makes you boss, you ain't boss.
I'm not trying to pick on the guy necessarily, I'm sure he's having a rough go of it,
but it just goes to show you that's their mentality.
Even the guy on the side of the road with empty pockets is thinking MONEY.
BOSS. I gotta be the BOSS. Gotta get that bag.
Whatever the kids are saying these days.
That's the one I heard somewhere. Gotta get that bag.
Hopefully that's not some derogatory thing I'm uttering in the pulpit.
No? Okay, I gotta witness.
They're chasing after wealth. They're chasing after money.
Gotta be the entrepreneur. Gotta be independent.
Gotta get those six-figure incomes. Gotta be a millionaire by the time I'm 30.
Gotta retire at 40. Look, the world, they're after that.
And people get it all the time. Question is this, are they satisfied?
Now, are they gonna come out and say it? Nope. Not satisfied. The honest ones will.
Right? I mean, I remember listening to an excerpt out of an interview of one of these entrepreneur types.
Guy's in his own private jet. Multi-millionaire.
And he's like, it cost me my wife. My kids hate me.
And he says, it's not worth it.
Because I had to just work and just forsake all these other things.
And he said, the things that really matter in life, I just gave up on.
Why? So I could just chase the flesh pots. So I could get some melons.
So I could get some leeks and onions.
So, why complaining is such a dreadful sea is because when that sets in in our life,
when we start to complain about the Christian life, you start to lust after these other things.
And those things will not satisfy you.
Especially when it comes to this thing of loving silver, loving wealth.
You know, we need to learn to be content.
You say, what's the cure for complaining? Contentment is the cure for complaining.
Contentment is the cure for complaining.
You want to stop complaining less about things in life?
You want to stop complaining less about the Christian life?
Just be content.
I mean, what if Israel had just said, you know what, the manna is good enough.
Thank you, Lord. Thank you for the manna.
Thank you for the angel's food.
Thank you for this bread from heaven.
Even if we have to eat it every day for the rest of our lives, thank you.
It's better than starving.
You know, they probably wouldn't have had the quail.
They wouldn't have had a plague sent among them while the flesh was still in their teeth.
They wouldn't have upset the Lord. They would have made God angry.
God wouldn't have smote them if they had just been content with the things that God had given them.
This is why complaining is such a dread seed. It's because it's the dread of discontentment.
If you're there in Matthew chapter 13, Jesus said, where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Wherever your treasure is, that's where your heart's going to be.
In Matthew chapter 13, of course, the very famous parable of the sower in the scene.
We'll just get to the interpretation here in verse 18.
Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
Look, I know I've preached this several times the last few years.
I know I've touched on this passage so many times.
There's a reason for it.
Because this is one of the things in the Christian life that will absolutely choke you out.
I mean, that's what he says. He says it chokes the word and becomes unfruitful.
This is one of the greatest dangers for people today.
And it's in a prosperous country like ours where we can have wealth and abundance.
Where if you want to go chase being a millionaire, you can achieve it.
I believe that.
Most people, if they want to just go work their fingers to the bone and strive and get wealth,
you're living in a land of opportunity.
It's possible.
I'm just warning you, it's not going to satisfy.
Don't get caught up in complaining about the things in the Christian life.
Maybe having to live a little leaner.
Maybe having to go without some things.
You know, for example, we emphasize homeschooling here.
We believe that's the best way to raise your children.
Homeschooling.
I don't know that I need to spend a lot of time going into as to why.
I think it should be pretty obvious at this point that if you're going to try to raise godly children,
you know, having them in the public school system is kind of setting them at a disadvantage.
I'm not saying it's not possible.
And I understand some people are in situations where, you know, it's just really kind of not possible.
Or it's going to be a really big hardship to have mom at home teaching the kids.
And I understand it's very overwhelming from others.
I just say these things nonchalantly.
You know, it's just the line we tow as a new IFB church.
I understand the implications of what I'm saying here.
That when you say, hey, moms need to stay home and homeschool the kids,
that that's a lot of responsibility.
That's very overwhelming, especially for the ladies.
Because they start thinking about, well, I don't know how to teach algebra and calculus.
It's like, well, the good news is that's later.
You can relearn with the kids as you go.
And I know every situation is a little different, but whatever.
But, you know, the temptation might be to complain.
Because now dad has to work to provide for the whole family.
And that's not easy.
You know, our system is not set up for single family income.
It's not.
And that's by design, folks.
And you're a fool if you don't think that wasn't done up.
That was some kind of social engineering.
You know what, you say, what, was it just to destroy the home?
No, the Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil.
1 Timothy 6, we're going to be there in a minute.
Right, the world, everything they're doing is to get money.
You know, they're going to keep promoting disease-filled lifestyles
so they can keep selling the HIV pills.
They're going to plague people, they're going to spread diseases
so they can inoculate everyone and make billions.
Just follow the money, it always comes back to money every single time.
Just wealth.
It's the same way with our economy.
Because if you have half the population, about half, men and women,
women make up about half.
A little bit more because they typically live longer.
But that's a whole income base in the form of taxes.
So if you're the tax man and you're thinking, man, how can we get even fatter?
How can we really line our pockets?
Hey, let's work on getting the entire other half of this population into the workforce.
We just doubled our profits.
Oh, no, that's not what's going on. Come on.
The love of money is the root of all evil.
And that's why it's so hard for guys to make it happen.
To take their wife out of the workforce and work and provide on a single family income.
I'm not saying it's easy, but don't complain about it.
Don't complain about it when you raise godly children who love the Lord,
who know the Bible, who have some common sense, who haven't been defiled,
who aren't dealing with all the things that the world is dealing with.
The way of the transgressor is hard. Mark it down.
You know, maybe dad's just got to go out and get a second job, folks.
You know, maybe it's got to go from 40 hours to 80. I don't know what to tell you.
Do what you got to do. And I'm not just saying that. That's something I've done.
You know, I'm not saying that to boast. I'm just saying that I'm just trying to...
Because people hear me say things and they say, well, it must be easy being the deacon.
You're just on the payroll. It must be easy just to get up there and say that.
Yeah, but the church has only been here five years.
And I didn't start doing this five years ago.
Start living this life five years ago.
When I was a deacon five years ago, I was a layman just like every other guy in this church.
And you know what? We were homeschooling. We had several children.
And there were times where I worked 70 plus hours a week.
Why? Because I was just trying to get that bag.
So I was trying to get rich. Trying to get my grill all shiny.
Get that bling. I'm trying to think of all the things that, you know, the stupid things that they say.
I guess I need to listen to more hip-hop or something. Right?
That's a joke.
Deacon said, listen to hip-hop.
You heard him. Right?
Is that why I was doing all that? No, it was so that I could provide for my family, keep my wife at home.
Like, the Bible says that she should be a keeper at home, that she could love her husband, love her children,
and teach our children, and raise them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
That's a command.
It's not easy.
But you know what? God can work for us.
So you know what? God, this is hard. This is difficult.
It is just manna.
But I'm grateful.
But if we start murmuring and complaining, now it's not going to stop being hard.
It's just now it's going to be hard, and God's angry.
And God's upset.
And the next thing you know, that's when people eventually, they just cave under that kind of stuff.
If you're not living for the Lord out of sincerity and love for God,
and you're not, you know, it's just a matter, you can't fake it until you make it in the Christian life.
You will cave.
And you will go back to the world.
And it won't be any easier. It'll be harder than before.
Because unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much also be required.
We were in Matthew 13, look at verse 18.
Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower, with anyone heareth the word of the kingdom,
and understandeth not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which is sown in its heart.
This is he which received seed by the wayside.
Right? That hard-packed earth where it couldn't sink down.
But he that received seed into stony places, the same as he that heareth the word,
and with anon, meaning immediately, with joy, receiveth it.
So the parable of the stony ground is the one we want to look at.
The seed was cast on the stony ground. That's the guy, he hears the word, he's received it,
it penetrates the soil, it goes down and it germinates.
This guy's saved. I've heard Baptist preachers say this guy wasn't saved. Stupid.
This guy's saved. He's received the seed, the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
Right? He's got that seed. He's been born again. Right? It's germinated.
But the problem is, is that it's in stony ground.
Yet he hath not root in himself, but deareth for a while,
for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word,
by and by he is offended. Notice it says when, not if, when,
tribulation cometh. When tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word.
Jesus said, I came not to send peace, but a sword. A man's foes shall be they of his own house.
All they that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Okay?
I misspoke. We want to look at the guy in verse 22. He also that receives seed among the thorns
is he that heareth the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches
choke the word and he becometh unfruitful.
This is, you know, where complaining will lead. We start to
get dissatisfied with the Christian life, dissatisfied with the things of God, just like Old Testament
Israel and start to think about the past, start to think about the leaks, the millions of onions,
think about the flesh pots and eating the bread, thinking about all the wealth this world has to offer,
all the sin and the pleasures thereof, this world has to offer, and it will choke the word.
It will make us unfruitful. Because this guy, he receives a
seed among thorns. Is the problem the ground? No.
The ground can support life. Thorns are a plant just like any other plant, aren't they?
We know something about thorns living here. You know, it's hard to find a plant that
doesn't have a thorn in Arizona. Even the pretty ones.
One of the ones they put by the highway, the bougainvilleas, I really like those. I only found out they had thorns
until like this in the last year. I was going to plant some. I'm still gonna, but it's like, man,
they got thorns. Rose bushes, thorns, right? Those things all require water.
They all require nutrients. They all require fertile soil
to support that life. So what's this guy's problem? He's not like the stony
ground that doesn't have much earth in it, that the root can't take hold and blossom,
right? That seed can't germinate and grow big. It's weak.
It's easily blown over, right? The problem with this guy is that there's other things in the soil.
The soil's good, or excuse me, that it's supporting the wrong things. I'm getting my parables mixed up.
The problem is not that there's things in it that it's stony, it's that it's supporting the wrong things. He hasn't taken
the time to get the roots, to tear out the thorns. And this is what we have
to learn to do in the Christian life. Rather than desiring the things in the world, we need to get
those things out. Because those are the things that will choke us and make us unfruitful as Christians.
It's true. It chokes the world and he
becometh unfruitful. People who just don't understand that if you love silver you
won't be satisfied and keep chasing after silver, keep chasing after wealth, keep chasing after
homes, who base their life on, you know, make the decisions in life based on, you know,
weather, weather, homes, the things of this
world. Not necessarily bad things. Just the cares of this world, right?
And that's what he says, and the care of this world.
Careers, money, wealth, just all the things that the
world chases after. People who just focus on that, look, it will choke you and make you
unfruitful because your priorities will be out of whack. It's true.
This is why we have to learn to be content.
Because contentment is the cure for complaining. And discontentment
will lead to this. Discontentment will lead to you chasing after things that you ought not.
I know I need to wrap up. Go over to, go over to Philippians
chapter number 4. We'll close there. Philippians chapter number 4. The Bible says in Hebrews chapter 13
let your conversation be without covetousness. That's a command in scripture.
Your conversation, not just, you know, not just the things that you say but how you conduct your life. That's what it means.
That's what the Bible uses, conversation. Let your conversation, you know,
your walk talks louder than your talk talks. The way you live says something
about you. That's your conversation in this world. Let your conversation be without
covetousness and be content with such things as you have. For you say, I will never
leave thee nor forsake thee. You know, the world might have a lot of things but do they
have God? You know, Egypt might have a lot of things to offer but they also have the
plagues too, don't they? They also got destroyed by God. They also had God's
wrath too, didn't they? Yeah, they had some nice buildings. You know, they had a lot of
leeks, melons, and onions and they had a nice river running through the land. You know, they're taking in the scenery but they also had God's wrath.
You know, we might, if we learn to just be content,
we'll be able to say, you know what, maybe I don't have all the wealth. Maybe I don't have everything this world has to offer
but I have him who will never leave me nor forsake me.
So that I may boldly say, the Lord is my helper. I shall not fear what
man shall do unto me. You know, I'd rather be in God's good favor
and know that he's on my side and will work on my behalf than just have everything the world has to offer
and be upsetting the Lord. But this is why complaining
is such a dread sea. Because complaining leads to discontentment
and discontentment will cause you to chase after things that are just going to make God mad. Because you'll forsake the
things of God. The thorny things of this world will choke out all the other
good things in your life. The Bible says in 1 Timothy 6, godliness with its contentment is great gain
for we brought nothing into this world and it's certain that we can carry nothing out and having food and raiment let us
be there with content. But they that will be rich
fall into temptation and a snare into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction,
and perdition for the love of money is the root of all evil. It's interesting that that's what
drowns them. That's how Egyptians go out. That's what we saw with Pharaoh's
army. They got drowned. The things of Egypt will drown you.
The love of money, they that will be rich fall into temptation
and a snare into many foolish and hurtful lusts which do what? Which drown men in destruction and
brings the judgment of God. And that goes for the unsaved and the saved.
Look, God gives us the power to get wealth. I'm not saying if people do well and succeed in business and make money
that they're wicked or something like that. But I'm saying if people, they that will be rich
who just, their life is about money, their life is about covetousness, it's all about just making money
and having fat stacks. They just want to make it rain.
I'm getting some more, right? Maybe the make it rain one is a little sketchy, I probably shouldn't say that one.
But that's what their life is about, right? They're going to drown in destruction
and perdition. Even the Christian, because perdition, it's just judgment, destruction.
God destroys his own people. I mean, we just read it in Numbers and Exodus.
Excuse me. The Bible says the fear the Lord
tended to life and he that hath it shall abide satisfied. He shall not be visited with evil.
He that hath it shall abide satisfied. The fear of the
Lord. That's, you say, what does satisfy? Fearing God. Fearing God.
Look, if you love God, you love the things of God and you live
for the Lord, I don't care how lean you get. I don't care how
much you have to stretch the dollar. You'll still be a satisfied person because
you'll be able to say the Lord is my helper. I mean, people who've done that, they can
look back and see God answer prayers because God works for them.
God sees that family that's just trying to live for God, keeping mom at home, raising the family right
and praying and asking God for help and then God steps in and helps.
He's not going to send you a lotto ticket. He's not going to give you the winning numbers to the
Powerball, right? Because that would probably destroy most of us, just like it does
the people in the world. People win the lottery and their lives are ruined.
You know, but he might help with, you know, this bill or this need. I mean, my wife's
doing that all the time. She's always coming to me like, I prayed for this and then bam, you know, we
really needed X, Y, and Z and then I prayed about it and things came through. I mean,
there's so many stories like that, I can't even count them all. And I'm sure many people in the
auditorium would be able to express the same sentiment. Let me wrap it up. Look at Philippians
chapter 4. What are we talking about this morning? The dread seas,
the sea of complaining. Obviously, I'm only getting to one. What is so dreadful
about complaining? Because it leads to discontentment. It leads us wanting to go
back to the things of the world. And that leads to God judging us.
The dread of discontentment. So, contentment is something
that we have to make part of our lives. But here's the thing about contentment. Something that has to be learned,
right? That's what you see in Philippians chapter 4 verse 11. Not that I speak in respect of want,
for I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content.
Also, this is something I have learned. What? Being content. Contentment is something that must
be learned. It is something that must be practiced. Because we all are going to
be tempted. Maybe, you know what, maybe if I did start skipping church and just worked a few more hours.
Yeah, maybe if you did that, you'd make some more money. But what about God? Is God going to be pleased about that?
Because sometimes people think it's about, oh, I don't want to upset deacon. Who am I that should complain
of a murmur against us? People make me mad all the time.
There's a line for that. I'm just kidding.
I'm working on it. All right. But
making me happy or not happy is not the goal of your Christian life.
Because, you know, I could get just as bent out of shape as anybody else. It's not about
impressing me. It's not about satisfying me. It's the fear of the Lord. It's Him.
What's God going to think about you skipping out church? What's God going to think about you,
you know, cutting corners or whatever, being dishonest just so you can get some more money?
I have learned whatsoever state I am therewith to be content.
Oh, it's so hard having to stay home and homeschool the kids. Be content with that.
Because, yeah, it might be a temporary relief to just stick them in public school.
Yeah, but what happens when, you know, junior comes home one day, you know, your son comes home one day.
Didn't mean that junior. All right. It's the same in general.
Right. Little Billy. Anyone got a kid named Billy in here? All right. We'll go with Billy and junior.
He comes home and says, Dad, Mom, I'm a girl.
Yeah. Now that all that paid time off and having all that extra income and all those nice things.
And that wide screen this and that flat screen that and the shiny new and every and all those nice little
things that Egypt gave you all those leaks and now they don't look so good.
Because now you had a kid who's all bent out of shape. And another name for that is queer.
It's all backwards.
He said, I have learned whatsoever state on there with big intent. Verse 12. I know both how to be a base and how to abound everywhere.
And in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
I love verse 13. Right. This is the one everyone quotes. This is one of the guys tattoo on their chest.
Right. The MMA guys. I'm thinking of one in particular. I will not utter his name from the pulpit because he's not worthy.
I can do all things through Christ with strength with me. They love to quote that verse. It's a famous verse.
How many people have heard that verse? Yeah. Everyone's heard that verse. What's the context?
I can do all things. Well, I can be a based. I can abound. I can be hungry and full.
I can suffer need and I can have all my needs met. Why? Because I've learned it. That's what he's talking about.
Not, you know, I can do all things through Christ. You know, I can be the first female president.
And literally today I probably could be the first female president, you know, if I wanted to go through that process.
Right. You've got to be careful what you say today to these folks. People could take that literally.
Deacon wants to be the first female president.
Obviously, there's a few more obstacles standing in my way besides my unavoidable gender, which cannot be changed.
Right. I'm not going to go off. Right. But that's not what it's talking about when it says I can do all things.
I could become champion of the UFC. I could do all things. That's not what he's talking about.
What he's saying is I can be content. I can suffer need. I can go lean. I can go without.
Because I've learned to be content. I love how he says it twice in this passage.
I have learned and whatsoever say I am therewith be content. Then he says in verse 12, I know.
Right. I learned, therefore I know. Notice also everywhere and all things I am instructed both to suffer hunger and both to abound and suffer need.
I can do. It's this great, he like reiterates the same point. I have learned, therefore I know. I am instructed, therefore I can do.
Right. 13 is tied in with everything else in this chapter. I have learned, I know, I am instructed, I can do.
What is it that Paul learned? What is it that he could do? To be content and to not complain.
It's a dreadful C. Develop godly appetites. Don't complain about the manna. Don't complain about the Christian life.
Don't complain about the miracles and the provision of God in your life. Don't complain about living it.
Don't compare it about living a godly life in Christ Jesus. Don't murmur about it. Don't take these things for granted.
You know these three C's, I'll have to look at the other ones later. These are obstacles in the Christian life that must be crossed.
We must learn to be content. We must learn these things. We have to know them. Then we can do all things.
Through Christ would strengthen us. We have to learn these things.
The point this morning is really to just drive home the importance of making sure that we learn it.
And warning about the dangers of covetousness, warning about the dangers of complaining and murmuring.
God takes note. If we complain long enough, we murmur and we're not satisfied. If we don't learn contentment, we're going to seek it in places we ought not.
And then not only are we going to have the consequences that come with it, we'll also have God's anger as well.
We don't want those things. Let's go ahead and close the word of prayer.
Dear Lord, again, thank you for the many great things you give us in this life.
Thank you for, Lord, salvation. Thank you for the dwelling of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for the word of God. Thank you for a local church.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you and to win souls and to earn rewards in heaven.
Thank you to have the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, to know joy and peace and long suffering and all these things.
Thank you for the fellowship with you and with one another.
And, Lord, help us to never take these things for granted. Help us to appreciate them.
And, Lord, help us to see the world for what it is, Lord, not what it's been dressed up as and dolled up as,
not the bill of goods that are being sold to us by the devil, Lord, but that it truly is a sea of discontentment.
It's one that we need to cross over and get behind us. Help us to do that, we ask in Christ's name, Amen.
Alright, we'll go ahead and sing one more song before we depart.
Let's turn our hands to song number 12. Song number 12, Blessed Redeemer.
Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer,
Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer,
Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer.
Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeem
Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer
Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer,
Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer,
Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeem
Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer,
Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer,
Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeem
Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer
Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer
Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer
Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer
Blessed Redeemer
Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer
Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer
Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeemer, Blessed Redeem
I didn't get the part, I didn't even get it there.
I haven't seen it, I haven't seen it.
I don't think there's anything else I can do.
I usually think that I need to do it myself.
I don't know what you're talking about.
I don't know.