Lights In A Dark World I - Part 1 of 2

Will be fire, the shuttle she rightly Junior welcoming you to another broadcast of the Baptist Bible. Our I know that most of you are like I am deeply concerned about the conditions it prevailed in our country today.

I trust that we all are diligent in prayer seeking the Lord to intervene join me for work or prayer. Heavenly father, we thank the for the daily mercies. We thank the for that sovereign grace given us. Through Jesus Christ. In these dark time when there are so many issues that have come to the forefront and so many things that are in opposition to the truth of thy word.

We pray for the intervention. Pray that you would spare this nation die religious liberty would not be taken from us God and directing every detail. We pray for Jesus sake today are subject lights in a dark world we live today in a time of great prosperity people in America in particular have more than it ever had been imagined by previous generations. And yet, in spite of the fact that people in general have more possessions, more opportunities to travel more. The things that would be considered which would bring satisfaction. There probably is as much discontentment murmuring and complaining as ever been no you find people who are sometimes seething under the surface because they feel they haven't gotten their fair share of the prosperity of our time bigger easily irritated or impatient some of the common rules of courtesy that were put in our land a few years ago have been forgotten there demanding, overbearing, complain about most anything and everything. The ready to sue you at the drop of a hat. When we see that kind of spirit and attitude prevailing it brings home to us. The contrast that to be observed in the lives of God's people and we have the force in the passage that we are ready to look at now in our study in the book of Philippians Philippians chapter 2 reading verses 14 through 16 do all things without murmuring and disputing's that you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain.

Neither labored in vain. But for this section of our study is light in a dark world.

We know three things in particular. Here first. We are told to be submissive.

That is, do not complain.

Furthermore, we are told to be holy to live as sons of God, and then were told to be an active to hold forth the word of life when talking to the church about the importance of unity he has set forth example of Jesus Christ pointing out that Jesus humbled himself, took upon himself the form of a servant went to the cross and then God highly exalted him you saying that we have in our Savior. The example that we should follow because he said let this same mind begin you which was also in him.

He then admonished them in the 12 verse that as they had obeyed while he was with them. He encourage them to continue to obey. While he was away from them that they would work out their own salvation with fear and trembling does not indicate a fear of man, but also respect for God. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.

Those who tremble at the word of God give evidence that their hearts have been touched by grace and belong to him. Now he says as you work out your salvation with fear and trembling doing without murmurings and disputing's do not complain this word murmur also means global next one of those words that kinda sounds like what it is sound like a complainer, and it's making noises and saying things it really cannot do here want to be around somebody all the time the complaint complaint complains about everything. Nothing is ever quite right.

But you see that's an indication of the deployment of our nature, our fallenness that we are prone to complain rather than being thankful rather than recognizing our unworthiness and how we deserve. Not even the least of his mercies. We can do murmur your obedience working out of your salvation is to be done with joy. That's another of the themes of this book. Paul is constantly talking about rejoicing in the Lord in spite of his adverse circumstances and he tells us to rejoice in the Lord all the way.

We are to serve God, not under a slavish fear.

We talk about obedience were not talking about legalism were talking about serving God out of love because of his marvelous rice because what he's done for some of what he's doing in us, as he tells us to work out our own salvation with fear and trimmings as it is God that worketh in you both the will of the do of his good pleasure with God is working in you, you're not on your own, you're not trying to do this by just gritting your teeth digging your heels in the same allow doing and I have to round try to make know God is working in you, you are empowered with the presence of the Holy Spirit to serve him willingly, lovingly. Let us then be sure that we do not give way to the weaknesses of our flesh fall into the same spirit that is seen in the world around us because we are to be the likes of the dark world we have the same kind of attitude use the same kind of language make the same kind of complaints click on the same type of unhappy blur than others are. Our likes are not to be shining were not going to be a witness. You might try to talk to somebody about what you believe in there going to be very unimpressed because you must display it first in your life you must be able to demonstrate that you are one who finds joy in the Lord. No matter what your circumstances are. But if you're given to murmuring your testimony is vain. Know what is going to be impressed with people complained today, even when they have an abundance of material possessions. I believe that some of this has come about because of an incorrect understanding about how parents altering their children. Many parents are so interested in pursuing their own interest so involved in making money so tied up in their jobs so much in pursuit of their own entertainment. They don't spend adequate time with their children. They don't teach and train the children middle process properly discipline their children. The children are being taught the concept of self-esteem and so indeed the children missing themselves very highly. As result, they think like they're entitled everything they make demands and the parents would rather give into their request have to put up with the feedback the rebellion, the complaint comes when they don't let them have their way to rather than parents being the authority figure, which God has designated to the audibly they appease their children slightly, but I'm afraid to take a real firm span. I just don't know much I would do.

I just I just dread to think about the consequences is just easier for me to let him go, she wants to do what he wants to delay whatever posters on the wall. He was to put their list whatever kind of music you want to listen to your parents. God hold you accountable for the training of your children and if you deal with your children in such a way giving into every whim. Every desire and request let them have everything I want to think you gotta keep up with everybody else.

The last of material things and you focus their attention on that joke may have become so selfish and self focused. They become a perpetual complainer.

Your accountable for having contributed to and then not only do children sometimes Kleinman murmur and complain rather than displaying a thank you letter to within wives and complain about their husbands murmur about them talk about them to other people talk about the behind her back is a violation of every biblical principle that you can imagine husband Mike talk about his wife refers to as the old woman called Renee speaks to RR about her in the unbecoming fashion murmuring against her. God is not pleased with may not be your husband or your wife but you may just complain about people in general. If you notice that something can seem to find that to be the most important part of their conversation is always somebody complained about somebody to put down. I discussed it is something that is strictly forbidden in the word of God grumble about their work. Nothing is ever right at work. Too much is expected of me.

The bosses overbearing the people I work with are difficult. It may be that you have forgotten who you're working for. If you become a plumber and a complainer. You were to serve not with services made pleasers what is on the Lord even if you have a difficult job and overbearing boss if you understand what you're going to work.

You're going to work for Jesus Christ you're going to put forth your best effort you're going to do the best possible job going to seek to magnify challenging the task is change your whole perspective on here on this job to honor Christ. I'm here to do my best, that I may shine as a light in a dark world. If I join with everybody else in this place was murmuring and complaining about having accountable witness all kinds of complaints about work about the government certain that our government has its faults and flaws but can you think of any other government, the more they underwent you would like to be living in you not be thankful for the ones we have. Thankful for the freedoms that we enjoy here got an email yesterday from Elder Buna in India talking about the authorities that have come several times recently to examine their books and to search out what all they're doing reporting back to the officials and keeping them on a hinge as to what may be the next step in depriving them of their religious liberty. One American preacher visiting the area recently and was beaten severely with crowbars.

We have liberty. Here, what a treasure. How we ought to thank God for it is not out of order man to be spending our time murmuring and complaining and grumbling and fall into the trap of complaining about the church thankful I don't see this much among our people.

But here it is.

I talked to ministers of other orders. They say their people today that are just constant church hoppers and just go from one to another, one church decided to like the music program to go to another church. They don't like this. I don't like that the constantly looking for somewhere else on their always talking about those where they just were well not to be a murmur. No church is a perfect church. Every church being made up of fallen sinners saved by grace has its faults and its weaknesses, and those are things that we don't only perform 24 that they might be strengthened as possible to become very critical not only of the church itself and the members of the pastor in years gone by. I have known the family's later admitted that they had spent so much time criticizing the church and the pastor. In particular, that they discourage their children and their children when they became of age turned away from the church entirely said we can understand now that we contributed to that was partly our fault because we go home from church and pick apart the sermon that we heard you never hear perfect sermon from the lips of man. You'll never have a perfect man standing the pulpit. God has this treasure in earthen vessels, and whether it is me or any other man that stands here. Any man who seeks to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ needs your support, your encouragement and your prayers. If a man is at fault. The preacher on to be personally approached and labored with in the gospel way. Just like anybody else, but if you talk about him. If you murmur and grumble.

Are you here to such a such a preacher said something and you quoted is always packed and you don't know that's gossip that's grumbling that sowing discord, murmuring sometimes people become members and complainers about any services they render the matters in a one-time of day. I just feel like I've done more than my share. I really stuck my neck out for people administer them. I've done this I've done that. They went on a whole long list with general nobodies appreciated not to do, but I'm just given up. So that's good. Look at me kind of funny that you think that's good. I said yeah you never should've started because obviously the reason for the service you rendered what you wanted somebody to appreciate to you want to sum it up at you on the back of what everyday and so you're ready to quit good with any service that we render is to be is on the Lord.

So if you get to the place you feel like you're overburdening your put on. You're doing too much. Somebody else is not doing their job and no all the time you're working you think about where somebody else what lies in somebody else might. Somebody else doing this not serving with joy under the Lord do all things without murmuring. Thank God for what opportunities you have, to serve thank God for what opportunities you have to give. Thank God for what opportunities you have to minister to anybody else, and anyone else's burdens, but don't be a murmur. They had that problem in the early church leaders not acts chapter 6, verse one, and in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplied there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily administration. There was poverty and that they and the church was seeing to it that the windows were cared for, but here those of the Grecian lineage that are widows are being neglected. Things are not being dealt fairly. The use who are natives of Jerusalem are getting more than our people are. There was murmuring, murmuring that I resolved that by appointing the first deacons to see that the ministers would not be distracted from prayer and the preaching of the word have to resolve these difficulties, but can you not see how inappropriate it was. How petty that these kinds of controversies would arise.

Paul is keenly aware of the weaknesses of the flesh and how people give way to them.

And so he saying your obedience is to be with joy and without grumbling. You are to work out your salvation with a humble spirit of joy the book of first John first John chapter 5 reading in the first verse, whosoever believe that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and everyone that love of him that began at 11 PM. All so that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God. When we love God and keep his commandments. How is it that we know we love God, not just because we sing a song. Oh how I love Jesus, not just because we declare to somebody I really love the Lord with all my heart, but the way that is demonstrated is that we love the children of God. We know that we love the children of God. When we love God and keep his commandments. The evidence we love him that as we do what he say that we keep his commandments, for this is the love of God.

We keep his commandments and his commandments are not grievous. As soon as you come to the conclusion that what is being freed from the word of God is burdensome, difficult, grievous, not to be preached. You have a tendency to reject it to draw back from it was a problem not doing it in the proper light. You're not understanding that the merit basis in multi-for all of our services to be love that we are to serve with a humble spirit out of love and gratitude for the mercies of God, for all that he has done for us when we understand something about how amazing his grace he is seeing ourselves as fallen ruling centers knowing that we could never have saved ourselves what he is saying just by his grace is that not reason to inspire us that in every detail of our life we want to love him support for the want to seek him first, we want to honor Jesus Christ in word and deed, and part of life. Surely if we find that to be difficult is because we've failed to grasp how desperate our state laws significant our need. How impossible it would've been for us to have recovered ourselves that now that we've been touched by grace called the Holy Spirit redeemed plan lost the righteousness of Christ imputed to us in our heart knowing that we were strangers and pilgrims here. But we look for an exit which had foundation member and maker is God is not been in every reason to commit ourselves to him to serve him faithfully in all that he calls upon us to do. First Peter chapter 4 verse nine says use hospitality one to another without grudging without grudging sin remains without murmuring without complaining, without being a grumble or read in the Scripture alarmed him to be given the hospitality that Mike something about home for dinner on the bikes and became frightening thing to spend the night but the whole time you're about it. You're muttering on your breath. Don't know why I had gotten myself into this mess. This is an imposition on my time. This is inconvenient for me is not some and I really wanted to let Brisbane the next applicable to any kind of service that you rendered use hospitality one to another without grudging without murmuring without complaining, work out your own salvation with a humble spirit with joy in the Lord. Furthermore, as we talk about this matter of being submissive and not complaining. We learn the Scripture that we are to profit by the mistakes of others. That is when we look at the more mothers and complainers that are described in the pages of Scripture. We are to learn not to follow that terrible example for scrimping. Chapter 10. This is made plain when Paul refers to those former times he saying I would not that you should be ignorant brother and I want you to know about what happened to our fathers in olden times and says in the 10th verse.

Neither murmur. He has some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer for the Bible has a lot to say about murmuring that I might conclude this morning. I think there's probably sins of the greater magnitude you could preach on that another semester take time this morning to talk about murmuring. I daresay that the sin of murmuring is more widespread than we might want to admit we probably all have done little grumbling here and there that we would want to concede but it's it's there. Nevertheless, some of the spoken, some of it is internal. But we're still grumbling with the Lord this this is a significant sin and this is something is to be placed recognize repented of verse 11 says now all these things happen unto them, foreign samples and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are, wherefore, let him think of the extended take heed lest he fall says these things were not written, just to be part of a history book.

Just so you can go back and see what long ago there recording for your learning. There's a lesson you learned by your to see the grave error on the part of these in years that are passed and not follow their example.

One that thinks he stands a person might say that I just only the surprisingly I think I'm in great shape on this point. He says the one the things he stands ready to fall by all of us recognize the weakness of our humanity, the weakness of our fallen nature of the inclination to be murmur a complaint rather than one who is continually rendering the front of our lips giving thanks unto God. Well, there's no question but what were living in a dark world and it gets darker all the time. Some of the things that are transpiring in this day showing no regard for law and order shortly indicate the deep corruption.

The chin fallen man, how much we need to shine as lights in the darkness. It's around hope that you will write love the snow that you listen to the program today. The Baptist Bible Auerbach 1701, 37, Cincinnati, OH 45217 two with Richard next time. This share Bradley Junior bidding goodbye and may God bless you and is all in a will and all