Deuteronomy 1:6-8 - The Lord our God spoke to us at Horeb, saying, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Turn and set your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites, and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland and in the Negev and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. See, I have placed the land before you; go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to them and their descendants after them.
Numbers 10:11-12 - Now in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth of the month, the cloud was lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony; and the sons of Israel set out on their journeys from the wilderness of Sinai…
Numbers 11:1a - Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the Lord…
Numbers 11:1b - and when the Lord heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.
1 Corinthians 10:1-5 - For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.
4 reasons to not be distracted by the temptation to criticize and complain
I. Criticism and Complaining Could Cause You to Directly Disobey God’s Command
A. The complaints of the ten spies was rooted in unbelief, fear, and disobedience
Hebrews 3:14-19 - For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, while it is said, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me.” For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.
B. Could be true of people like you and me
1 Corinthians 10:6 - Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.
C. Consider the example of our Savior
Isaiah 42:1-2 - Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the street.
Isaiah 53:7 - He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its hearers, so He did not open His mouth.
Hebrews 12:2-3 - fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
II. Criticism and Complaining Could Cause You to Align Yourself with the Wrong People
A. The majority isn’t always right
Numbers 13:32 - So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out…
Numbers 14:1 - Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night.
B. Sometimes you have to stand against criticism
Numbers 13:30 - Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.”
Proverbs 29:25 - The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.
3 John 4 - I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.
Psalm 1:1 - How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
C. This is why the strategic ministry planning process focuses on solutions and moving forward positively together
III. Criticism and Complaining Could Cause You to Focus on the Size of the Obstacles Instead of the Opportunity to Glorify God
A. The Anakim are usually there
Numbers 13:33 - There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.
B. Our God is far greater than any obstacle we’ll ever face
Numbers 14:6-9 - Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us-a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.”
IV. Criticism and Complaining Could Cause You to Miss Opportunities to Magnify God in the Future
Joshua 14:10-12 - …behold, I am eighty-five years old today. I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in. Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out as the Lord has spoken.
- would you agree with this statement this morning…Accomplished people have learned to not let the temptation to complain and criticize distract them from achieving their God-given goal.
- when you stop and think about it, it’s amazing how many areas of life illustrate that principle…
- for example, let’s take young mothers…
- I have a saying I often use to make the point that something doesn’t really bother me – you’ve probably heard me use it – “I slept like a baby last night…“ …
- occasionally I’ll have a young mom come up and mention – you know, babies don’t always sleep very well at night…
- truthfully and to my shame, I don’t know a whole lot about that…
- but back to a young mother – isn’t it true that she could spend practically all day, every day, criticizing or complaining about something?...sure – it’s a demanding responsibility…
- well, why do many mothers avoid that approach to living?...because they’re focused on a higher goal…
- they want to do everything they can to put their little baby in the best possible position to grow up to love and serve God…and they’re not going let complaining about feedings in the middle of the night and smelly pampers and the myriad of others issues that go with that responsibility distract them from achieving what they believe is their God’s given goal…
- the same is true for an athlete…
- during the game he or she could be sidetracked by criticizing the refs, or complaining about how bad their body aches or a thousand other issues…but the focus is on winning the game…and an accomplished athlete is no going to let any of those other issues get in the way of the goal…
- or a student…you’re trying to get your degree…so what’s the point in getting caught up in endless criticism of the university…or complaining about your partners on the group project…and on and on and on…
- can you imagine the student who would say – well, I didn’t graduate…but you should have read my twitter rant about the syllabus…
- so, our proposition is true… Accomplished people have learned to not let the temptation to complain and criticize distract them from achieving their God-given goal.
- now here’s the question – is that equally true for followers of Jesus Christ?...
- The Lord has a mission He has given us to accomplish…and that mission is so significant that Jesus shed His own blood to make it possible…
- He has a purpose for calling each one of us to Himself…so we could talk about all of this individually or corporately…
- but just like the young mother, or the athlete, or the student…built into the accomplishment of that mission is all kinds of challenges…hardships…difficulties…
- so what do you do with that?...or maybe more to the point for our purposes today…what do you not do with that?...
- the answer is – don’t be sidetracked by the temptation to complain and criticize about something or someone in a way that causes you to miss the main objective…
- and it wouldn’t be hard at all to find examples in God’s Word of people who failed that important test…
- with that in mind, please open your Bible to Numbers chapter 13…page 110 of the back section of the Bible under the chair in front of you…
- we’re talking this morning about The Relationship between Complaining and Accomplishing God’s Will…
- this is part of a series we’re doing this summer entitled Handling Criticism…which in turn is part of our annual theme of Growing in Gospel Gratitude
- because often when we’re complaining or being critical of someone or something, it’s because there’s a lack of thankfulness…that’s not always the case, but it often is…
- let me just repeat a couple of points we’ve been making all along in this study because I realize people are in and out in the summer time, or you may be joining us for the very first time today…
- we’re not having this series because we’ve detected some kind of critical spirit among our church family and we believe it needs to be publicly addressed…
- truly the polar opposite is the case and we’re very thankful for that…
- we also are not offering this series in a way to discourage what might be called “constructive criticism”…
- I’ll be saying a fair amount this morning about where we are in our strategic ministry planning process…
- well, where did that begin back in January?...with over 2200 persons offering analysis of our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats…we even opened it up to the community and we because we believe in progressive sanctification at an institutional level, you could say we were inviting criticism…and the excellent plan that has been produced shows how important that openness is…
- but, the Scripture is clear…a surprising and saddening characteristic of the people of God is to be sinfully critical…and what we’re going to see this morning is – that can cause you to be distracted…to miss accomplishing God’s Will and Plan for you, or for us…
- Numbers 13 records one of the greatest failures in the history of God’s people…
- when the NT speaks of these events, it does so in the harshest of terms…
- what’s stunning is the context…what has occurred in the last year or so since God miraculously led his people out of Egypt…
- they saw the protection of their families during the tenth plague when they smeared the blood of a sacrificial lamb over the doorposts of their homes…
- they saw God part the Red Sea…
- they’ve spent a year receiving God’s law on Mount Sinai and learning about His holiness…
- The twelve tribes have been organized for travel and for war – for the conquest of the promised land…
- and then, they are told to move out…years later Moses will remind them that God’s specific words were… Deuteronomy 1:6–8 - The Lord our God spoke to us at Horeb, saying, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Turn and set your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites, and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland and in the Negev and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. See, I have placed the land before you; go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to them and their descendants after them.
- that’s why here in Numbers we read in chapter 10 – Numbers 10:11-12 - Now in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth of the month, the cloud was lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony; and the sons of Israel set out on their journeys from the wilderness of Sinai…
- what’s shocking and instructive is that the next several chapters are dominated by the theme of criticism and complaining…
- Numbers 11:1a - Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the Lord…
- so the Lord tried to warn them about going down that path…so we read next…
- Numbers 11:1b - and when the Lord heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.
- you would hope that’s all the divine intervention they would need to repent and turn from their complaining and criticism…
- but it wasn’t…so they started complaining about the food…it’s amazing how fixated people can be about food…when we have conferences here and distribute surveys, invariably the greatest amount of ink is spent on food…you could teach abject heresy as long as you had the right kind of snacks (that might have been a bit of complaining…about complainers…]…God’s judgment at the end of chapter 11 is profound…
- but then chapter 12 is about…complaining…that will be addressed in a separate message…but Miriam and Aaron complain about Moses…and unless you like being a leper, that really did not go well…
- its in that context…that frame of mind…or disposition toward the things of God that we could to chapter 13…
- read Numbers 13:1-3…
- so please notice, we’re talking about the cream of the crop…we’re talking about a leader from each one of the tribes…
- and their names are specifically listed in the next several verses…and then we read in verse 17…read Numbers 13:17-24
- you have to imagine the anticipation and excitement of the people as they waited…and in our culture we are so used to receiving news from around the world that I think it’s difficult for us to imagine waiting for news…but then what?...read Numbers 13:25-14:4
- please don’t miss the point…the criticizing and complaining hearts cultivated and illustrated in Numbers 11 and 12 caused them to miss their divine calling to enter the promised land…
- and as I mentioned a moment ago…the NT speaks of this failure in the harshest of terms…
- 1 Corinthians 10:1–5 - For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.
- friend – you do not want to be at the culmination of that passage…and you certainly don’t want to impact your children, your grandchildren, your friends, your neighbors, your work associates in a way that could lead them down that path…
- so let’s think now about The Relationship between Complaining and Accomplishing God’s Will…and with the time we have remaining, let’s think about 4 reasons to not be distracted by the temptation to criticize and complain
I. Criticism and Complaining Could Cause You to Directly Disobey God’s Command
- it is very important to note that it was never the responsibility of the spies to come back and organize some sort of vote…
- the Lord had already promised to give them this land…
- and He had commanded them to go conquer it right then and there…
- which means that…
A. The complaints of the ten spies was rooted in unbelief, fear, and disobedience.
- here’s the way the writer of Hebrews summarizes it…
- Hebrews 3:14–19 - For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, while it is said, “Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me.” For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.
- do you see the relationship between this propensity to complain and criticize and the possibility of disobeying God’s clear commands and therefore missing the mission He has for you?...
- perhaps thinking about that concept in reverse will help it click in our minds…often the mission God has for us is counter-intuitive…
- it’s not what we would have thought…it’s not what we would have wanted…
- His mission brings with it a fair amount of discomfort and sacrifice and hardship…(the very things we often complain about)…and our complaints become a justification for our disobedience…
B. Could be true of people like you and me
- we mentioned 1 Cor. 10:1-5 a moment ago…”nevertheless with most of them God was not well-pleased…”…well, what does the very next verse say…
- 1 Corinthians 10:6 - Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.
- see, isn’t it true… Criticism and Complaining Could Cause You to Directly Disobey God’s Command…and please complete that thought logically…and miss the mission God has for you…
- now, let’s turn it around positively for a minute…many people in our church family will be celebrating a wedding anniversary this summer…congratulations if that’s true for you…
- well, if that couple made it another year, is that because it’s easy?...they found their soulmate who saved the cookie factory in New England on Christmas Eve and then proposed in the snow at the community Christmas party…
- no, in many cases it’s because they understand the mission…and say that recognize that their marriage is to be a picture of Christ’s relationship to the church…
- and together they can serve the Lord effectively in Christ’s church…and be a blessing and impact spiritually to those the Lord places around them…
- so the husband may not like everything that comes with his God-given biblical role…but he’s not going to sit around and complain about it…he is going to obey what God’s Word tells him, because he doesn’t want to miss the mission…
- there are plenty of aspects of being a biblical wife that are hard and distasteful…so why did that woman continue to follow what Scripture says instead of griping and complaining or criticizing/undermining her Bible or looking for loopholes and ways to disobey?...because she doesn’t want to miss the mission…
- we could say the same kinds of things regarding parents and their children, or children and their parents…
- or follow this same line of logic regarding submission and hard work at your place of employment…
- the principle is clear – don’t let criticism and complaining cause you to disobey God’s commands…and I would just ask you to pause and analyze how things are going for you…does the way you think about, and talk about your God’s given roles make it more likely that you will obey what God has said, or less…
C. Consider the example of our Savior
- one of the interesting aspects of the prophecies about the Messiah in the Old Testament is what He would not say…
- that’s an important part of this entire series…learning the discipline of not saying certain things…so we read of the Idealized Servant in Isaiah 42…
- Isaiah 42:1–2 - Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street.
- Isaiah 53:7 - He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its hearers, So He did not open His mouth.
- why?...because His focus was on the mission the Lord had given Him…
- that’s why the writer of Hebrews said… Hebrews 12:2–3 - fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
- that’s what the faithless ten spies did not do, because they could not, or would not, control their complaining tongues…
- what else can we learn from this unfortunate event?
II. Criticism and Complaining Could Cause You to Align Yourself with the Wrong People
- the math in this story is fascinating…
- this would be different if we were talking about 1 or 2 critics among the 12…or a 6/6 split would have been interesting, or 7/5…but 10 of the twelve were faithless…which tells us…
A. The majority isn’t always right
- Numbers 13:32 - So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out…
- I hope you’ll say right now – I never want to be that person…
- I’d rather cut my tongue out of my mouth that negatively impact someone else in a way that made it less likely they would seize God’s will for the next stage of their life…
- Numbers 14:1 - Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night.
- that’s the impact ten complainers can have on an entire group of people…which is why….
B. Sometimes you have to stand against criticism
- Numbers 13:30 - Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.”
- do you have the courage to do that if necessary?...and do you have the wisdom to distance yourself from complainers so they don’t negatively impact you?...
- for Caleb to do that in that moment – he had to slay the fear of man…
- Proverbs 29:25 - The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.
- it’s been interesting over the years to watch young people grow up in our homes, and in our youth groups, and in some cases our school…
- and by God’s grace there is a line of them who now as young adults and older adults are still living for God, and being used to serve Him in ministries small and large around our country and in some cases around the world…
- we would say with the apostle John… 3 John 4 - I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.
- in order for a young person to do that – there had to be a specific time when they admitted their sin and then placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord…(God doesn’t have any grandchildren…so every person in every generation has to decide what they are going to believe…)…but then they had to adopt the mission of our Redeemer drawing men and women to Himself as He builds His church all around the world…
- here’s the challenge with that…the mission that God has called His people to in this world brings with it a fair amount of ridicule, pressure…sometimes being ostracized socially, etc…
- some young people crave the acceptance of the world…so they look at whatever beliefs are objectionable to the world and they start criticizing…and condemning…and eventually mocking…
- it’s very much the progression outlined in Psalm 1… Psalm 1:1 - How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
- what happens when a young person heads down that path of criticism and complaining about the things of God?...
- they’ll leave home and many times walk away from the church…and become very embittered…and what’s sobering is…there’s no accomplishment of the mission God has given…
- and you want to say to such persons…what are you accomplishing for God?...
- you’re a professional critic…you’re great at tearing things down…but what are you building?...where’s your positive accomplishments for the kingdom of God?...
- because ultimately the critic’s path is an unfulfilling path…a wasteful path…and a depressing path…
C. This is why the strategic ministry planning process focuses on solutions and moving forward positively together.
- this has been a very important year for us…because we believe the SMP process can be a teaching tool…
- 2200 of us were involved in “constructive criticism”…we were very open and forthright about ways we needed to improve…how was that different than what we’re reading here?...
- because at the end of January, what did we do next…
- we pushed out all of those survey results…and encouraged you to shut off your electronic devices, get a cup of coffee and a legal pad…read through the surveys, and do what?...
- begin brainstorming initiatives…solutions…steps we could take together to grow in accomplishing the mission God has given us…
- the principle is – don’t ever criticize or complain to someone who isn’t part of the problem or the solution…because otherwise that’s just gossip…
- but when it is the right time to be involved in constructive criticism…be sure that you are also suggesting a solution…along with expressing a willingness to be part of putting that solution into action…
- [develop – where we are in the process – back in Jan, if you showed us where we would be today, we couldn’t be any more pleased – now we’re beginning the capital campaign process – doing quite well in the silent phase – the plan doc will be available soon and everyone will be invited to participate, and to attend the Stew Celebration on November 20]…
III. Criticism and Complaining Could Cause You to Focus of the Size of the Obstacles Instead of the Opportunity to Glorify God
A. The Anakim are usually there
- the descendants of Anak were known for being big…
- Numbers 13:33 - There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.
- please remember this – rarely does God call you to accomplish something in His name without a significant amount of challenge and difficulty
- Moses wasn’t called to go talk to Mayor of Delphi or Rossville, but to go talk to the Pharaoh of Egypt…
- the people weren’t told to go stand in front of the Red Creek, but in front of the Red Sea…
- that’s something else I love about the plan that our church family has assembled…it’s appropriately aggressive…
- even during challenging times economically…
- there’s a sense of urgency to what we believe the Lord wants us to accomplish…but we’re not going to simply focus on the size of the obstacles…
B. Our God is far greater than any obstacle we’ll ever face
- Numbers 14:6–9 - Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.”
- [develop the issue of families or groups of friends making these kinds of SMP decisions with their children…using very similar language]
- because there’s one more very important piece of this puzzle…we’ll all building habits that will either serve us well in the future, or serve us poorly…
IV. Criticism and Complaining Could Cause You to Miss Opportunities to Magnify God in the Future
- because this isn’t the last time we’re going to hear from Joshua and Caleb, is it?
- when the 40 year wandering period is completed, and the ten faithless spies and the generation that followed their complaints and criticism had all died out in the wilderness…then God will raise up Joshua to lead God’s people into the promised land…and by God’s grace, the people of that generation were singing an entirely different song compared to their parents complaining and criticism…led by Joshua who challenged them to be strong and courageous…
- and when that conquest was practically completed…who comes up with a request to Joshua but his old frond Caleb…who was how old at that time?...85 years old…
- and what did have to say…some sort of complaint and criticism…no, because that’s not the trajectory he had set years ago…
- Joshua 14:10–12 - …behold, I am eighty-five years old today. I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in. Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out as the Lord has spoken.
- the only way you can talk and live like that when you’re old…is when you live the way we’ve been studying this morning when you’re young