Rev. David Holwick P
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
May 2, 1993
Exodus 16:2-8
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I. It's the little things that defeat us.
A. At the beginning of a new year, a high school principal decided to
post his teachers' new year's resolutions on the bulletin board.
As the teachers gathered around the bulletin board, a great
commotion started.
One of the teachers was complaining.
"Why weren't my resolutions posted?"
She was throwing such a temper tantrum that the principal hurried
to his office to see if he had overlooked her resolutions.
Sure enough, he had mislaid them on his desk.
As he read her resolutions he was astounded.
This teacher's first resolution was not to let little things
upset her in the new year.
#2251
B. Tension in Jessica Martin's life led to complaining attitude.
Husband laid off, then got inferior job with no security.
Bills piled up.
Hectic lifestyle.
Friend's letter (in among bills) stunned Jessica:
"I don't know how else to let you know what I heard and
how you came across, at least to me.
I heard what sounded like a whining child complaining that
she wasn't being treated fairly."
Felt like a slap in the face, but true.
She researched "grumbling" in the Bible.
C. Grumbling is common with Christians and in churches.
1) This tradition goes way back - to the Exodus.
II. Grumbling versus legitimate concern.
A. Not all disagreement is unhealthy.
B. Grumblers express disagreement in unhealthy ways.
1) They seldom take their issue directly to those who can
resolve it.
a) At worst, some want retribution more than resolution.
b) At best, they don't want leaders to think less of them.
2) They tend to aggressively build support for their cause.
a) Unwilling to remain a minority opinion, they beat the
bushes for sympathizers.
b) They hope to reverse consensus or block implementation
of decisions.
3) They use the Gideon strategy: creating the appearance of
greater numbers.
a) "I'm not the only one who feels this way."
b) When pressed, they refuse to talk specifics.
1> In one case, supporters feared defeat, yet won by 90%.
c) Church business meetings tend to be "grumbler friendly."
III. Why the Bible condemns grumbling.
A. Grumbling denies God's ability to provide. (short memory)
1) Grumble about danger - sea parted. Exod 14:11
2) Grumble about water - spring becomes sweet. Exod 15:24
3) Grumble about food - manna. Exod 16:3
4) Grumble about manna - meat till they puked. Num 11:20
B. Grumbling weakens grumblers, and their relationships.
1) Do we focus on what we have, or what we don't?
2) God is patient (Exod 34:6-7) but his patience has limits.
a) Grumble about Promised Land - forbidden to enter. Num 14:28f
b) This warning emphasized in NT. 1 Cor 10:10
3) Grumbling can also kill our relationship other people.
a) Backbiting is opposed to loving neighbor. Gal 5:14-15
IV. The dangers of grumbling.
A. Complaining replaces prayer. Ps 142:2
1) Prayer, not grumbling, is God's way to change things.
2) Tell God your troubles, not others.
B. Grumblers earn a bad reputation. Jude 16
1) They will not trust themselves to you, fearing you will use
them for new material.
2) People may love negative comments, but they prefer to be with
positive people.
C. Grumblers weaken God's leaders. Num 11:15
1) Leaders make the most convenient targets.
a) In Numbers 11 Moses was pushed to the point where he
wanted to take his life.
b) Grumbling is a form of Chinese water torture with a steady
drip of thoughtless, often anonymous complaints.
2) Grumbling may be an attempt to intimidate.
a) In Exodus 16 they grumble against Moses to get him to
return to Egypt.
b) Change still threatens God's people today.
3) While natural, it is unhealthy to believe negative reports
about others.
a) Do not presume guilt instead of innocence.
b) Instead, presume the best rather than the worst.
V. Three ways to minimize grumbling and its effects.
A. Don't encourage complaints.
1) Grumblers often get bolder and more influential when given
a ready audience.
2) Death by inattention is better than encouraging beefs.
a) Some grumblers will make their own Exodus.
b) With their absence the atmosphere will brighten.
B. Follow the Bible's advice on resolution of conflicts. Matt 18:15f
1) Don't respond to second-hand criticism.
a) It's not biblical.
b) It's not helpful.
2) Go directly to the person offended, one-on-one.
C. Don't Grumble against Grumblers.
1) It is natural to see grumblers as "the enemy."
a) Our responsibility is not to accuse but to pray for them.
b) Christ will vindicate us.
c) By grumbling, we admit defeat. Phil 2:14
2) Can chronic grumblers be reformed?
a) Difficult, but not impossible.
b) One complainer was babied, then ignored.
He found out that grumbling is unacceptable.
But while they ignored his grumbling, they did not
ignore him as a person.
They communicated that they valued him as a person.
That may be what most grumblers are searching for.
VI. A new spirit of positivism.
A. Grumbling doesn't make things better.
1) Hardships should be expected in the Christian life. Acts 14:22
2) God doesn't promise life will be easy or fair.
3) Generally, grumbling just makes things worse.
B. Have a positive attitude instead. Phil 4:8
1) Your attitude is contagious.
2) Like Moses, Joshua, Gideon, and Nehemiah, choose to focus on
the positive side even when besieged by critics.
3) Communicate that God is in control.
4) Give thanks - in all circumstances. 1 Thess 5:16
********************* Notes *****************************
John White (pastor of Faith Evangelical Free Church in Manitowoc, WI),
"Breaking the Grumblers' Grip," Leadership, Spring 1993, p. 98
[under illustration #2503]
______________________________________________________________________
I. Grumbling versus legitimate concern.
A. Not all disagreement is unhealthy.
B. Grumblers express disagreement in unhealthy ways.
1) They seldom take their issue directly to those who can resolve it.
a) At worst, some want retribution more than resolution.
b) At best, they don't want leaders to think less of them.
2) They tend to aggressively build support for their cause.
a) Unwilling to remain a minority opinion, they beat the
bushes for sympathizers.
b) They hope to reverse consensus or block implementation
of decisions.
3) They use the Gideon strategy: creating the appearance of
greater numbers.
a) "I'm not the only one who feels this way."
b) When pressed, they refuse to talk specifics.
1> In one case, supporters feared defeat, only to win
by 90%.
C. Church business meetings tend to be "grumbler friendly."
II. Why the Bible condemns grumbling.
A. Grumbling denies God's ability to provide.
1) The Jews in front of the Red Sea out of fear lashed out at
the most convenient target, Moses, because they had
forgotten what God had done in Egypt.
B. Grumbling may be an attempt to intimidate.
1) In Exodus 16 they grumble against Moses to get him to return
to Egypt.
2) Change still threatens God's people today.
a) But God's path is most often one of growth, not of comfort.
C. Grumblers debilitate God's leaders.
1) In Numbers 11 Moses was pushed to the point where he wanted
to take his life.
2) Grumbling is a form of Chinese water torture with a steady
drip of thoughtless, often anonymous complaints.
III. Five precautions to minimize grumbling and its effects.
A. Don't encourage complaints.
1) Grumblers often wax bolder and more influential when given
a ready audience.
2) Death by inattention is better than encouraging beefs.
a) Some grumblers will make their own Exodus.
b) With their absence the atmosphere will brighten.
B. Model a positive attitude.
1) A pastor's attitude is contagious.
2) Like Moses, Joshua, Gideon, and Nehemiah, choose to focus on the
positive side even when besieged by critics.
3) Communicate that God is in control.
4) Stay mentally, physically, and spiritually fresh.
C. Educate leaders.
1) Don't respond to second-hand criticism.
a) It's not biblical.
b) It's not helpful.
2) Matthew 18 shows how to resolve conflict.
D. Warn of the dangers. (many consider it normal for churches)
1) Complaining replaces prayer.
a) Prayer, not grumbling, is God's way to change things.
2) Grumblers earn a bad reputation.
a) In a church that values community, grumbling will
ostracize them.
3) Grumbling seduces people away from Jesus' model for handling
conflict.
4) Grumbling weakens a congregation's confidence in its leaders.
a) While natural, it is unhealthy to believe negative reports
about others.
b) Do not presume guilt instead of innocence.
c) Instead, presume the best rather than the worst.
E. Don't Grumble against Grumblers.
1) It is natural to see grumblers as "the enemy."
a) But our responsibility is not to accuse them but to pray for
them.
b) Christ will vindicate us.
2) Can chronic grumblers be reformed?
a) Difficult, but not impossible.
b) One complainer was babied, then ignored.
He found out that grumbling is unacceptable.
But while they ignored his grumbling, they did not ignore him.
They communicated that they valued him as a person.
That may be what most grumblers are searching for.
**************************************************************************
"The Grievance of Grumbling," by Jessica Martin, Discipleship, #38,
March 1, 1987, page 38.
[under illustration #2504]
I. Tension in Jessica Martin's life led to complaining attitude.
A. Friend's letter stated: "I don't know how else to let you know
what I heard and how you came across, at least to me. I heard
what sounded like a whining child complaining that she wasn't
being treated fairly."
B. Felt like a slap in the face, but true.
1) She researched "grumbling" in the Bible.
II. Murmurings and Manna.
A. The Israelites had a short memory.
1) Grumble about food - manna.
2) Grumble about water - from a rock.
3) Grumble about manna - meat till they puked.
B. Grumble about Promised Land - forbidden to enter. Num 14:28-31
III. Grumbling as sin.
A. Do we focus on what we have, or what we don't?
B. God is patient (Exod 34:6-7) but his patience has limits.
C. Grumbling can kill our relationship with God and people.
IV. A new spirit.
A. Think positive. Phil 4:8
B. Grumbling doesn't make things better.
C. God doesn't promise life will be easy or fair.
D. Give thanks - in all circumstances. 1 Thess 5:16
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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