Otterbein United Methodist Church

April 20, 2008

Scripture: Philippians 2:12-18

Sermon: “To Grumble is to Stumble”

A supposedly recently discovered fable begins: Once upon a time there was a sheep farm. The ground was rather poor and there wasn’t a lot to eat, but the farmer worked hard to improve the land and the sheep grew fat and well contented. Because of the improved conditions, the flock began to increase and, in a few years it became clear to the farmer that, however hard he tried, there was not enough land to support so many sheep. So he decided to move to a bigger farm. The land on this new farm wasn’t much better than the old one had been when he started, but it would be big enough that when improved would be ideal for the size of his flock.

Now the sheep were slightly intelligent, so in order not to give them too great a shock, the farmer started to warn them about the coming move. For a while they ignored the warnings, because the move seemed a long way off, and although life was a bit crowded at times, the grass was still reasonably plentiful.

As the time drew near the message started to get through, and the sheep began to grumble. They forgot how hard the farmer had worked to make the farm as pleasant as it was (indeed, many of them had not been born in the early, hard times). They thought the farmer wanted to move just to use the latest farm machinery (which was too large for the small fields of the old farm). Some of the sheep became downright rude to the farmer. And the farm ceased to be the happy place it had been for so long.

(The manuscript of this fable apparently became damaged at this point, and three alternative endings sprang up.)

In ending 1 the wiser sheep persuaded the rest of the flock that the move was in their best interests in the long run, and they all lived happily ever after.

In ending 2 the farmer and his family developed an incredible taste for mutton and lamb chops.

In ending 3 in spite of the grumbling from the sheep, the farmer worked long and hard to prepare the new land because, in truth, he cared very much about the welfare of the sheep. However, as the new farm improved, the sheep just kept right on grumbling, because that’s just the way sheep are!

Today we’re going to talk about something that none of us have ever done, and the only way we know about it at all is because on rare occasion, we’ve heard someone else do it! We’re talking about grumbling!

Listen to what Paul writes to the church at Philippi about this problem… Philippians 2:12-18.

Introduction… If you’ve watched an American Boxing or Professional Wrestling match, you know the trademark words of announcer Michael Buffer (and by the way they literally are trademarked!)… He begins by mentioning the venue and the city it’s in, then he says, “for the 1000’s in attendance and the millions watching around the world, Ladies and Gentlemen, LLLLet’s Get Ready to Rumblllle!

Her name was Ruth. Eventually I would conclude that her grumbling and complaining was the only way she knew to get attention. She couldn’t get it legitimately with positive things, so she would get attention through complaining. I was courteous enough to say, “Good morning” to her, but I knew that if I’d follow that up with a “How are you?” something would go off in her, her face would light up as if to say, “LLLLet’s Get Ready to Grumblllle! You would become a captive of a 3 to 5 minute litany of all the things that were wrong with her, all the latest gloom from her latest visit to the doctor. If her doctor had told her 10 things that were going well and one area of concern, talking about the negative would be the only thing you’d hear! It was draining just to listen!

I’m sure you know some folks (maybe they were your kids, and perchance they are even you) who you hated to ask to do something because you knew the response would be as though you had said, “Let’s get ready to Grumble!”

Grumbling is too large a part of too many people’s lives. As a matter of fact, grumbling began in the Garden of Eden. It was the serpent’s fault! It was the woman’s fault! Actually God it was your fault for making this woman.

In Exodus we encounter a people who had been slaves who had just exited Egypt into freedom! One would think they would be full of joy and excitement at the incredible adventure God had before them. You would think they would have such high praise for God there would be no room for complaint! But let’s take a look:

· In Exodus 15 they develop their first “water” issue. It was bitter, and the people didn’t like it. They didn’t say, “Any water drunk free is better than water drunk in slavery.” So they grumbled (24).

· In Exodus 16 they grumbled to Moses again about their lack of meat: "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted.” (3)

· In Exodus 17 (that’s three chapters in a row) they are at it again. Grumbling to Moses again. Moses replied (2) “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?"

In each case it appears Moses is the lightning rod for the people’s frustration at God! Part of the price of being a leader is at times the leader takes the heat when things go wrong, but God gets the praise when things go right! These three passages above indicate that people brought to freedom aren’t always thankful that their way of life has been changed!

They were really grumbling about their need to trust God instead of being able to trust government!

Grumbling and complaining has become epidemic in our culture. Unfortunately, it has become a way of life even for those in the church. We’ve lost our gratitude because we lost touch with our God. A heart of gratitude and grumbling are exact opposites… it’s like light and darkness, they can’t co-exist.

Hence I can confidently say that “to grumble is to stumble!”

In John 6:61 many of those who had been following Jesus were grumbling about the hard teachings Jesus was sharing. Many of them turned back. We do the same! It shows up in our failure to obey. When we hear God’s word on divorce, on marriage, on our sexuality, on our thought lives, on forgiveness, on giving… these can be hard teachings. And all through history people have grumbled in their hearts at God’s call to obey!

Additional insights about grumbling…

1. Grumbling exposes our lack of faith… Psalm 106:24 “We aren’t believing God’s promises.”

2. We grumble most freely (in our tents) when we are with our families. Psalm 106:25.

3. Grumbling is contagious – any of the above passages from Exodus!

4. Grumbling can make us turn back from following Jesus. Even his disciples almost did - see John 6:61.

5. Grumbling makes us “lose God’s rest” (Numbers 14:29 – “You’ll not enter the land!”).

6. Grumbling about the present makes us want to live in a past we can’t return to!

7. Decisions made out of a grumbling heart are normally costly (if not deadly). “Israel grumbled, ‘We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt!

As Paul writes Philippians, he is not long from becoming a martyr for his faith. He didn’t look at his lot and grumble or complain. Rather he looked at it and said, “I’m glad and rejoice with all of you!” Then he challenged them… “Do all things without grumbling or complaining.” ALL things.

If you grumble, you have lost sight of the realities of God’s sovereignty and control over your life! Job: shall I accept good and not bad? When I grumble, I am rejecting God’s sovereignty over my situation!

Or Paul again: “I am persuaded in whatever state I am, therewith to be content!”

Conclusion…One of the great quotes of the last decade… “God is good, all the time. All the time God is good.” Where is the room for grumbling?

There's a popular chorus that is sung throughout the Christian Community that goes like this: God is good ALL THE TIME; All the time GOD IS GOOD. It sounds so wonderful when you hear an entire audience declare God's goodness. But what about when there's not a crowd around? What are we declaring then?

When the chips are down and the enemy is hot on our heels, that's when what we really believe comes out. In the middle of the night when your child is sick with a fever or when you have more bills than money at the end of the month, it may be more difficult to recall God's goodness. In those times we have to reach down into what we know, not what we feel, and on purpose declare that no matter what, GOD IS GOOD. 

Jesus promised in Matthew 28:20 that He is with us always. Romans 8:28 says that God works all things to good for those who love Him. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that He has a good plan for us to give us a hope and a future. He is on our side and His power in us is greater than the powers of darkness that try to come against us. 

Whatever you're facing today, I pray that you will remember that God is good ALL THE TIME. There is no in-between. He is always working for our good. His goodness surrounds us like a shield. He always has a good plan for us. He is abounding in grace towards us and He is committed to finishing all the good things that He has started in us. So may the words of our mouth boldly declare today and everyday that God is Good,

ALL THE TIME! – and if we really believe that, there’s no room left for us to grumble!