BRANDED COWBOY CHURCH MINISTRIES    
Preachin Pages
Title:  Stop Complaining     
Text: Philippians 2:14-18
Sunday 12/28/2008                          
                                                              
How many of you would honestly say that you complain a lot? Would you raise your hand if that is you? Good. Now let
me ask you another question: How many of you are sitting next to someone who complains a lot? How many of you
would like to complain about that?

The truth is that we all complain about something from time to time.

You could be shopping at Wal-Mart in the fruit and vegetables section. You notice that grapes are $3.99 a pound.
You say “$3.99 a pound? That’s crazy! Two months ago, I bought them on sale at T and C for half that! I’m not buying
fruit here anymore!”

Or you’re driving to church. You end up behind a Sunday driver doing 45 in a 55. You say ’Why do I always end up
stuck behind people like this? It always happens to me when I’m in a rush! It’s not fair!”

It’s a lot easier to focus on negative things and complain about them than it is to rejoice over the good things. , The
Bible teaches that God doesn’t like it when we complain. But what can we do to stop our complaining?

Today we’re going to see what the Bible says about complaining. But we’re also going to talk about why we should
stop complaining, and what we can do to stop complaining.

We’re in the book of Philippians. This book was written by Paul while he was in prison. And it’s all about joyfully
serving the Lord no matter what life throws at us. In Philippians 2:1-12 Paul says we should give our lives in service
to one another just as Jesus Christ gave His life in service for us on the cross!

And then in verse 14, Paul explains HOW to give our lives in service to one another. He says “Do everything without
complaining or arguing.”

Now I gotta say that some things are easier to do without complaining than others. The other day Renee said “I’ve
got some extra money. Would you like some?” I was like ”Gee, let me think about that! CHA CHING!!!! Free money!!
Wooo hoo!!”

But the problem for us is that Paul doesn’t just say “Do the things you like doing without complaining or arguing.” He
says “DO EVERYTHING without complaining or arguing!” That’s hard!

Your dad says "It’s 9:30 pm. Time for bed." You say "Why do I have to go to bed at 9:30 pm when it’s not even a
school night? All my friends stay up until at least 10:30! It’s not fair!"

But that’s a sin. You know why? Because the Bible says "Do EVERYTHING without complaining or arguing." When
dad says it’s time for bed, You should say "All right, dad. I’ll see you in the morning. You da man!!"

Or mom says "Before you play your Xbox, I want you to do your homework." You’re like "Aw, come on! I just got
HOME from school! Can’t you let me have a little fun before I hit the books? It’s not fair!!"

But that’s a sin. You know why? Because the Bible says "Do EVERYTHING without complaining or arguing." Instead,
you can say "All right mom, I’ll get my work done. You da boss!!"

You say "Pastor Charlie, that’s not natural! I’m a kid! You can’t expect me to start acting like this!" You know what
you’re doing right now? You’re complaining! The Bible says “Do EVERYTHING without complaining or arguing.”

I’ve noticed that sometimes, people don’t complain out loud. They complain under their breath. In fact, the Greek
word for “complain” that Paul uses actually means “to murmur under your breath.” The same word is used in 1
Corinthians 10:10 to describe the Israelites grumbling under their breath against God and Moses.

This happened to me at Wal-Mart. I was buying something in checkout aisle 14. And they had to do a price check. And
I could hear the guy two shopping carts behind me saying “@!!!$%#*@!!” under his breath. I don’t know what he was
saying. But I could tell it wasn’t “May the Lord bless you and keep you.” It was $!!!@@@#@(&^$!!!"

Now I can tell you this morning that I don’t have this problem. "I never complain. When something bad happens, I
sing “Zippadee doo da, zippadee yay! My oh my what a wonderful day!”  I’m perfectly joyful all the time."

I’d love to say all that stuff. But I can’t because I live with someone who knows THE TRUTH! Sometimes,  I’m a
complainer!

I used to drive a 2003 Taurus SES. I liked it. It was reliable. It started up even when it was 10  degrees outside.

But they designed the remote in a such a way that it went off by accident all the time. I reached into my pocket for
the keys. All of a sudden, you hear “EHHH!!! EHHHH!!!! EHHHH!!!!” Everyone within 500 feet is staring at me like I have
a major malfunction. So I look down at the keys and say “I HATE THIS REMOTE!” It’s to the point where I don’t even
think about it. It just comes out of my mouth like bad breath! I HATE THIS REMOTE!

But it’s a sin to do that. Because Paul says “Do EVERYTHING without complaining or arguing so that you may become
blameless and pure.” Here’s the truth: You will never be pure and blameless before God until you quit complaining.
The fact of the matter is that complaining is not just a tongue issue. It’s a heart issue. How do I know that? Because
Matthew 12:34 says: “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

And then if you read further, it gets tougher! Verse 35 says that “The good man brings good things out of the good
stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that men will
have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken.”

Can you imagine how long some of these judgment sessions are going to last? Every single careless complaint you
ever made is going come up before God! Go ahead and say “Ouch!!!’

So remember: The next time you bellyache about the long lines at Wal-mart, it’s not just a small thing. It’s a reflection
of the anger and the hostility and the impurity that is defiling your life!

If you really want to be miserable, here’s what you gotta do: Complain about your job. Complain about the drive to
work, complain about the people you work with, complain about the idiot boss who doesn’t know squat. Complain
about the lousy benefits package. Complain about how you are undervalued. Do all these things every single day,
and I guarantee you, you will hate your job.

If you are not fully miserable, start complaining about other things. Complain about the weather, complain about the
economy, complain about your physical features, how you used to be hot and now you’re not.

If that’s not good enough, complain about your spouse. Complain about the way she drives, the way she cleans the
house, the way she chews her food, the way she leaves her clothes lying all over the floor. Go ahead and complain
about these things, and I guarantee you, you’ll learn really quick that complaining is a bad idea.
That’s why I prefer the Ephesians 4:29 approach. It says “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,
but only what is helpful, for the benefit of others.”

Just the other day, Renee called me up on the phone. I said “Hi, Princess.” JUST TWO WORDS! HI PRINCESS! I could
almost see her smiling right through the telephone. Sometimes, that’s all it takes. Next time your wife says “Clean
the garage,” you can say “Right away, sweetheart.” Actually that’s three words.
You say “Pastor Charlie, what can I do to stop complaining? What can I do to speak words of hope rather than words
of hurt?”

Number one:  Choose words wisely. Concentrate on building people up rather than tearing them down. Say "Thanks
for making that delicious supper! I probably don’t say this often enough, but I don’t want anyone cooking for me but
you!"

Proverbs 18:21 says that “the tongue has the power of life and death.” Make a commitment that in the year 2009, you
will speak only words of life.  Even when you’re mad at someone, you can still say "Let’s sit down. Let’s talk it
through."

Number two:  Ask God to give you the gift of encouragement. Say “Lord, I don’t want to be a chronic complainer. I
don’t want to stand up on judgment day and answer for every stupid thing I ever said. Forgive my sins! Cleanse my
heart! Fill me from head to toe with the love of God so that I focus on the things that are good rather than harp about
the things that are bad.”

If you do these two things, Paul says in Philippians 2:15 that you will become children of God without fault in a
crooked and depraved generation.” The Greek word for “crooked” is scolias. It’s where we get the word “Scoliosis.”
The world we live in has a bad case of spiritual scoliosis. It’s crooked and bent and twisted by sin and selfishness
and negativity.

But when we speak words of comfort rather than words of complaint, Paul says we will shine like stars in the
universe. People will say “That girl is so encouraging! She’s different! I love being around her! She makes me feel
loved and appreciated and accepted!”  And your wonderful Christian witness might be the very thing that leads
other people to Christ.

And that’s why Paul goes on to say in verse 18 “Even though I minister to you under difficult circumstances, I rejoice
in everything God is doing in your life.”

Stopping complaining isn’t something we can do by ourselves. We need God. We need the help of our glorious Lord
Jesus Christ. So let’s start the New Year off right by asking Him to be the Lord of our tongues. Let’s ask for His help
as we stop our complaining.