Have An Unhappy Complaining Day - Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ as believers in Jesus Christ struggle, setting aside a single day every year to be thankful without complaining. Something is wrong with our relationship God expects us to know and commanders to stop joining us today on this additional fellowship in the world. Pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana going to have to go get her now again he shows up how God's word are Laurel really think about the words to come on Obama, I'm sure we do about some work like will you marry me of the leader. Sometimes I wondered if we thought about that. I would imagine when you're talking during an IRS audit you think about your words, when were being interviewed for a job or when were giving a eulogy close friend at a funeral. We think about our words but what I'm thinking is, do we ever really think about our everyday words. Some of the cursory words that we use all the time this past week I'd read of a scientific study that was done and said 50% of what we say on a daily basis is mechanical without either little or no thought put into it at all is just reactive good morning to say that today yet good morning what you mean about what you mean when you say that.

Good morning. You mean I'm having a good morning. Is that what you're saying. Are you saying I wish you were having a good morning what you say when you say good morning. In fact, by the way, it's interesting if used, go back to the 12th century were that started it was literally said in English. God be with you today, but we turn it into good morning compared to most mornings. This is a good one. Is that what you mean when you say some people say it sorta mean the weather is fine.

Actually I think what we'd often say when we say good morning is I acknowledge you exist. Most the time we just mean hello, Dolly, about this how you doing good morning how you doing now.

If you think people really want to know how you're doing, start telling them and they won't ask you that question anymore. You see there's absolutely no sincerity in it at all. We just talk.

Happy Thanksgiving or have a happy Thanksgiving day what you mean when you say that you saying that you're having a happy Thanksgiving. Is that what you're saying when you say happy Thanksgiving music.

I'm going I'm having a happy Thanksgiving or you saying you need to have a happy Thanksgiving.

See what you mean when you say that in fact I'm not even sure were even truthful about it. I think instead of saying, have a happy Thanksgiving day. Maybe we should say in reality have an unhappy complaining day because is probably close to the truth. Just monitor yourself this year. You've already started complaining. We complain were a complaining people have an unhappy complaining day we have a website called complaint.orc. There are millions of entries in the website of what people complain about this week. By the way, I started hearing the only complaints about Thanksgiving already I want is a you know that there's not going to be nearly enough large turkeys available this year made the national news and the turkey prices continue to climb to have any idea what it cost the turkey and you're worried because it's going over a dollar a pound, and the new one this year the one it's resonated on every major network major retailers are now going to open in the middle of Thanksgiving day, or late in the afternoon instead of waiting for Black Friday morning many interview people on the streets.

I am outraged. People should belong giving thanks. Now, over all the years in your great family tradition. You watch the parades the football games are people working are those people all working not with their families. If you ever thought about that.

That's not the policeman and the people that work in hospitals and the people to work in restaurants.

Aren't they all working that never bothered you, but a major retailers of the men open in the middle of the day all know, here's a tip.

Don't go shopping on Thanksgiving day. You know I think this is if we put our absence where our mouth is and nobody went shopping the retailers won't open their store that they know all that is is an empty complaint. Have an unhappy complaining day she Scripture is clear. If we as believers in Jesus Christ struggle, setting aside a single day every year to be thankful without complaining.

Something is wrong with our relationship with God. God expects us to be continually thankful and he commands us to stop complaining. Open your Bibles the numbers chapter 11 numbers chapter 11 in the first point I want to make this morning is this. Those who choose to complain as a lifestyle will spend the rest of their lives in a spiritual wilderness.

Those people who are chronic complainers. Believers who are chronic complainers will spend the rest of their lives in the spiritual wilderness in the book of Numbers is Moses is writing in verse one of chapter 11 he says this now. The people became like it's interesting now. The people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the Lord. The people became like those who complain no notice. The very fact that he wrote it says God had a different expectation for his people. But he says no they became just like those who complain. By the way, when the Lord heard his anger was kindled in the fire of the Lord burned among them and consume sump on the outskirts of the camp. How do you think the workflows by complaining you see deep like those who complain of adversity. Really, I'm use of the words wall for adversity and it means just what it says it means distress or or misery or calamity, even saying it was easy for these people you wouldn't saying that all he somebody started complaining about it. The word complain translating some translations murmur. It's a hard word to translate its with the word on non-in Hebrew and it's only used twice in the Bible. Once right here and once in Lamentations and the limitations. Three.

Jeremiah says why this is God speaking. Why should any living moral or any man offer complaint. In view of his sins.

That's how can you possibly complaint in view of your sins.

When we complain what we inferring something's not right. There's an injustice or how can you complain in view of your sins, you see your recipient of the mercy, grace and forgiveness of God. How you complain about that about other people coming up short or circumstances not being what you want them to be what right does anyone have the complain, especially God's people.

When you consider the circumstances of life complaining is an attitude you choose. You choose.

You have a choice no matter what happens your life. The choose your attitude in a complaining attitude is exactly that and the other thing about it is it comes to us over time. That's what happens with it. I want you to turn back to Exodus Exodus chapter 14.

I want you to see something. This is the great miracle crossing of the Red Sea, so they're not even out yet. 400 years of slavery another free when you think at that moment as you're getting ready. You'd be kind of thankful grateful not necessarily verse 11 of chapter 14 of Exodus.

Then they said to Moses, is it because it we were there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness, why have you dealt with us in this way bringing this out of Egypt.

They're starting to complain right then.

Now I would guarantee you, knowing people that from Exodus 14 to numbers 11 they complained, they complained you know any complaining people do know people.

The complaint, are you one of them. But you know them and then amazing.

It doesn't seem to matter what you say complaint every day you meet them at work. They complained, and it will be over all kinds of things several years ago I preached a sermon on murmuring or complaining. Just on the complaining part and we had a woman in our church. She's now with the Lord and I'm shortstop by now. But she's now with the Lord. And every time I saw her dear old lady, she always would complain.

So I was at the front door as the service ended and she come out Germanic the front door and said that was a really important sermon pastor I know from that sermon we should not complain so I won't. But if I were going to complain. This is what I would complain about and then she told me her complaint she could help yourself.

You see, she started that's what she did her day was. I'm going to complain.

By the way, if you need ammunition to complain.

Just breathe anywhere you look there's good reasons a complain if you want to choose that this court. Exodus 16 to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.

Notice what they said all weather we had died by the Lord's hand in the land of Egypt.

When we set by the pots of meat and we ate bread in full and, but you are brought aside in this work is the cure was the whole assembly with hunger. Now the complaint all we could've only yelled it would've been great to be a slave. It was so wonderful they they just hit.

It was like a smorgasbord they served us steak. We had salads. It was just a wonderful thing. Now you brought aside here. The complaining 400 years of slavery. Now look at chapter 17 verse three. This was hunger now watch but the people thirsted there for water in it says and they grumbled against Moses says why now.

Have you brought us up from Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst, you're trying to starve us today what I chosen, thirst, by the way figure, the provision of God manna sustained 2 million people in wilderness pheasants a rock to follow them water supply complaining every time circumstances are adversity comes. They complained that's what they do, that's who they are. Now let's go back to numbers in this time.

Numbers 14 C complaining is an attitude and it can eventually become your only attitude.

Numbers 14 verse three. Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword, our wives and our little ones will become plunder and if not, he says when it not be better for us to return to Egypt there is .1 maker complaining people seldom have good ideas. I mean, you talk an idea that has stupid written all over.

How about that remember the last thing in half and a large portion of Verizon. He was killed in the Red Sea.

Now they can say let's all go back and it will be wonderful again you really think so. I'm using that's a plan that would be a good idea. Complaining people seldom have really good ideas, and so they said to know one another.

Let's point a leader and return to Egypt, but they're still not done same chapter verse 27 Moses says how long shall I bear this evil congregation who are grumbling against me. I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which are making against me say to them as I live, says the Lord, just as you have spoken in my hearing so I surely do to you on notice what happens. Your corpses shall fall in the wilderness, even all your numbered men, according to your complete number with 20 years and upward, grumbled against me to the consequences for believers who complain about life where there are the warning shot was the fire.

The brushfire on the edge of the camp were summoned, died was a warning shot. This is the judgment why the warning shot didn't work.

They just Complaining. So what happened no one over 20 ever enter the promised land. That's what happened. Those who choose complaining as their lifestyle will spend our lifetimes in a spiritual wilderness in first Corinthians 10. The apostle Paul said the Exodus generation is an example to us so we can learn from what happened to them. You'll never have the faith rest life. The promised land life that Jesus called the abundant life.

The life of joy in the life of peace in the life of hope you'll never have that. If your chronic complainer. You won't gratitude is at the very heart the blessings of God. Now I want to ask you something. One euro and ask yourself these three questions in my complainer.

Ask yourself, by the way, if you can't come up with the right answer. Ask those who are close to you as people at work and neighborhood, your family, your spouse asked my chronic complainer because you might be in my reaping the consequences of my complaining attitude.

My life is not marked with joy is not marked with peace.

I'm a slave to the circumstances of my life when they're great I'm great when they're not great I'm rotten maybe most important question in my willing to repent my willing to stop you see the antidote to complaining is thankfulness. That's the antidote go to Luke 17 with me now Luke chapter 17 verse 11. You know the story. It's pretty familiar.

Luke writes this he says what Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem. He was passing between Samaria and Galilee, and as he entered a village 10 leprous men who stood at a distance met him and they raised their voices crying Jesus master, have mercy on us when he saw them, he said go and show yourselves to the priest, which was required by the way by Levitical law and as they were going.

They were all claims now just imagine this is even more astounding or more profound than exits generation, these men were lepers doing have anything were sent to you on this earth and that world ostracized by everybody putting your own colony going through a really difficult way in a long, slow death. They were all cleansed. I would feel now.

One of them. When he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at Christ's feet, giving thanks to him and then Luke says this he was a Samaritan. I remember the Samaritans or the sort of half Jewish sorter heretical wing they did not did not like the Jews of Judah are Galilee and the Jews hated them. And yet this Jewish rabbi prophet heals him and he goes to him and worships him and thanks him for what he's done. And Jesus answered and said, were there not 10 cleansed, but nine. Where are they any says was no one fine. He says who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner and then he said, stand up and go.

Your faith has made you well. This is kind of interesting on it on a couple different levels. One thing here there were 10 actions received and there were 10 attitudes chose only one gave thanks the other tended not to notice what he says is the blessing, he said, stand up and go. Your faith has made you well. That can't be from leprosy because all 10 were cleansed.

The ungrateful ones were cleansed, but they didn't say thanks Jesus is your attitude your gratitude of gratitude your thankfulness made you well with the mean spiritually well you see there's nothing we should be more than thankful all of us are lepers. You see all of us of sin. There are none righteous, no not one. None of us have a uplifting, positive future. The wages of sin is death. Christ cleanses the expectations course thing. Granted you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just like to listen to the message one more time.

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