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I greet you in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Our text for this morning’s message is taken from Philippians 2:14–16.

We live in a world that is constantly unhappy, dissatisfied, and discontented. People murmur and complain about almost everything. When they are not as successful, wealthy, healthy, and better-looking than others, they murmur and complain. Why do people murmur and complain? Because they have certain expectations. They feel they deserve better, and when they do not get what they want, they become unhappy, dissatisfied, discontented, angry, bitter, and they start to murmur and complain. Most people do not think much about the sin of murmuring and complaining. Take a moment and consider this: when people murmur and complain, what will they do next? They will gossip, slander, and say all kinds of nasty and unnecessary things. Subsequently, it will affect their lives, their worship, prayers, and service. They will stop serving, they will stop attending spiritual activities, they will shy away from fellowshipping with other believers, and when they still do not get what they want, they will leave the church.

It will not only affect their lives, but it will also affect the people around them. When we murmur and complain, it will affect our husbands, our wives, and our children, and they will in turn also murmur and complain. It is a very devastating and contagious sin. When we trace the root of the sin of murmuring and complaining, we realise that the first person to commit the sin was Adam. When he disobeyed God and ate of the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, what did he do? He blamed Eve for his sin, and he complained to God: “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat” (Genesis 3:12).

Several years later, when his son Cain murdered Abel, he also complained to God that his punishment for murdering his brother was too severe. Moses complained to the Lord that He did not deliver the children of Israel from Pharaoh quickly enough. After God miraculously delivered the Israelites by drowning the Egyptians in the Red Sea, led them in the wilderness in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, the Israelites complained that the waters at Marah were not fit to drink, and God graciously responded by making the water sweet. Then they complained about the lack of food, and God graciously responded by sending manna from heaven. Again, they complained that they were tired of eating manna every day, and God graciously responded by sending quails. Yet again, they complained that it would be better for them to return to Egypt, and they said this because they remembered the fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic that they could freely eat in Egypt.

When the twelve spies were sent to spy out the land of Canaan, only Joshua and Caleb returned with a good report. The rest of the ten spies complained that the inhabitants of Canaan were too strong for them, and they were like giants in their sight. They complained that it was better to appoint another leader and return to Egypt, and they said it would be better for them to die in Egypt or even in the wilderness than to obey God’s plan to enter the Promised Land. Again and again, they complained against God.

In the New Testament, the Corinthians were also always complaining and murmuring, even regarding their spiritual leaders and spiritual gifts. So much so that Paul had to warn them: “Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer” (1 Corinthians 10:9–10). All of us must bear in mind that every murmur and complaint we make is against God. When we murmur about the situation, we are complaining against God, who is the one who has ordained all things to happen. When we complain about the leaders, we are complaining against the one who has appointed those leaders. When we complain about other believers, we are complaining against the one, because God is the one to whom all these believers belong, as His children. That was the reason why James said, “Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door” (James 5:9).

Murmuring and complaining is a very serious sin, and James said, stop it because the Judge is already ready to impose His judgment on you. If you do not repent, His judgment will come—He is standing at the door.

The title of our message is Stop Murmuring and Complaining.

Our first point is The Command. Let us begin with verse 14: “Do all things without murmurings and disputings.” Murmuring is a negative response to something that is unpleasant or disappointing, something that we feel we do not deserve, or we feel we deserve better. One classic example of murmuring is found in Matthew chapter 20, in the parable of the householder who hired some men to work in his vineyard. They agreed to work for one penny a day. Later in the day, the householder hired another group, and about noon, he hired a third group. Later in the afternoon, he hired yet another group. At the end of the day, he paid everyone a penny each, as they had all agreed, but the ones who were hired at the very beginning murmured because they had worked the whole day, while the last group had only worked one hour, and they all received the same wage. Their murmuring was a rebellion against the householder’s generosity to the others.

Disputing is from where we get the English word “dialogue”. This word points to the reasoning that goes on inside the human heart and mind—the inner reasoning within our hearts and minds. It is to question, doubt, or argue, and in this regard, as we murmur, every complaint and every murmur is against God. So, we are arguing and disputing against Him. When God's Word says, “You must do this; you must not do that,” we may be silent; we may not say anything, but in our hearts, there is this dialogue, this reasoning going on inside us. “Does God really mean that I must do this, or can I do it any way I want? Does God really mean I must do it now, or maybe I can do it later—some months later, or some years later?” This is the idea of disputing. In other words, murmurings can be a reference to something we say outwardly. Disputings can be a reference to something we say in our hearts inwardly. But whether outwardly or inwardly, God knows everything. We cannot hide from Him, and He does not want us to murmur and dispute; He wants us to listen to Him and obey what He says.

The phrase “all things” connects to the preceding verse—that as believers, we ought to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, something we have learnt in our last message. Therefore, everything in the process of working out this salvation that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ should be done without murmurings and disputings. To do “all things” means in all circumstances we should accept every situation of life willingly and joyfully without murmuring and complaining. If God is in control of all things, then it is always a sin to complain about anything He has allowed into our lives, or He has called us to do. Whether the task is easy or difficult, whether in times of blessings or in trials, whether in sickness or in good health, we must not murmur and complain.

Dear friends, are you someone who is always complaining and murmuring like the Israelites? That when God blesses you, there is always something you do not like? And when He blesses you more, there is still something you do not like? You are always unhappy, dissatisfied, and discontented. Or are you like the workers who were employed by the householder at the very beginning, who agreed to work for one penny a day? So, you say you want to serve God, and others say they too want to serve God, and at the end of the day, you feel that you are doing more than others, that your workload is heavier than others, and others receive more acknowledgements and appreciations than you, therefore you start to murmur and complain. We must never behave like that.

Sometimes, we may be right in our perceptions about the people and the situation. The people may be proud and hypocritical. They may have a holier-than-thou attitude. They may be serving with the wrong motivations. We may be right in our assessments, but the moment we murmur and complain, we ourselves have sinned against God. Remember, every murmur and every complaint we make is essentially against God. When we murmur and complain, it will not help the situation; it will never help the situation, and it will not only affect our lives, it will also affect the people around us. So, God's command is: Stop murmuring and complaining.

Our second point is the testimony. Let us look at verse 15: "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world." As children of God—the sons of God—we are to be imitators of God. Ephesians 5:1 says, "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children." Every Christian is in the process of becoming more and more like Jesus Christ, and we are expected to be blameless and harmless.

What does it mean to be blameless and harmless? To be blameless means to be without effect or blemish. In a spiritual sense, it means to be without moral or spiritual blemish. It does not mean that we are perfect—no man is. What it means is that when we are put to the task, we are not at fault; we are not guilty. To be harmless means to be pure, innocent, and mixed or unadulterated. This word is used to describe precious metals like pure gold and silver, which are unmixed with impurities. In a similar fashion, the believer has to live a life that is pure and unmixes with sin and evil.

Remember, our Lord Jesus commanded His disciples to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. In other words, be pure, be innocent, just like doves. As sons and daughters of God, we must be without rebuke, which means without fault—very similar to the word blameless. We are in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation. We are in the world, but we are not of the world, because this evil world system is controlled by Satan, and it is crooked, twisted, and perverse in every way. But in the midst of this dark and sinful world, there is a light that is shining, and they are the Christians. That is the idea.

Dear friends, the world will watch how we live our lives. The world will scrutinise our lives, whether or not we are living out the faith we profess to believe in. In our business dealings, we must be blameless, pure, and without fault. We cannot say one thing and do another. In our workplaces, we must be upright. We cannot compromise our Christian testimony by being dishonest, unreliable, or untrustworthy. We must say what we mean and mean what we say. In our schools, we must be exemplary. We cannot be worldly and immoral in the way we dress, speak, and behave. In other words, we must live our Christian lives in such a way that the world cannot find fault with us.

Allow me to quote an excellent example in the Bible, and that is the person of Daniel. Living in the midst of a wicked and ungodly nation—that was Babylon—he lived in the king's palace, and he worked for the king. His enemies tried all kinds of ways to find fault with him, but they could not find anything wrong with him. The only thing they could find fault with him about was in his worship of God. So they tried to convince King Darius to set a decree that no one should pray to any gods for thirty days, except to the king. Anyone who breached this law would be thrown into the lions' den. The king agreed and set the decree. When Daniel continued to pray to God, he violated the law, and he was thrown to the lions. God delivered him. But the amazing thing was that even his enemies had this to say about him:

"Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God." (Daniel 6:5)

This means, "We cannot find any fault with this Daniel, except it has something to do with the way he obeys the law of his God."

Dear friends, can you imagine someone in this crooked and perverse nation saying that about you? "We cannot find any fault against this Christian unless it has something to do with his or her God." How wonderful! That is what it means to be without rebuke. That is what it means to shine our Christian light in this world. That is how you and I should live our lives, as Paul said: "Among whom ye shine as lights in the world." (Philippians 2:15) So that when the world scrutinises our lives, they will not be able to find any fault. And praise be to God if they are able to say, like the enemies of Daniel would say, "Unless it has something to do with his or her God."

Our third and final point is the goal. Verse 16 says, "Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain." Holding forth means to hold out or to present. The word of life is the word that brings eternal life. Basically, it means the Gospel. In other words, we are to share the Gospel that brings eternal life.

But a moment ago, Paul was talking about how we ought to live our lives without murmuring and complaining, to be blameless, pure, and without fault. Why all of a sudden has he started talking about sharing the Gospel? You see, although our lives cannot save anyone, no one can look at the way we live our lives—no matter how godly and holy we are—and be saved. It is only the Gospel that is able to save the souls of men. "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17) We are called to share the Gospel.

But imagine if we are always complaining and murmuring. If we are disobedient, unfaithful, or ungodly, will that not have a negative effect on the people around us? Who would be attracted to that kind of life? Who would want to hear the Gospel we share? The unbelieving world will say to us, "If the Gospel cannot transform your life, it cannot transform mine. Keep the Gospel to yourself." That is why it is so important that we must maintain our Christian testimonies. We must first live our lives according to the Gospel that has saved us, and at the same time, we share this Gospel that is able to save the lives of others. Only then will our Gospel-sharing be effective.

And Paul says the reason why he wants the Philippians to do this is "that I may rejoice in the day of Christ." The phrase "the day of the Lord" and "the day of Christ" are very similar, but there is a difference. The similarity is that both speak of the judgment of God, but the difference is that the day of the Lord focuses on the punishment of unrepentant sinners—the unbelievers—while the day of Christ focuses on the believers. The day of the Lord is the time when the unbelievers will face the judgment of God. The day of Christ is the time when believers will appear before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. They will not receive punishment but rewards. As 2 Corinthians 5:10 says, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."

If you are a true believer, you will not face the day of the Lord, but there will be the day of Jesus Christ, whereby you will stand before Him, and all the things you have done will be judged. As the Bible tells us, some will be like gold, silver, and precious stones; others will be like wood, hay, and stubble—they will be burnt up. So some things will be good; some things will not be good. We will receive the rewards accordingly. For the unbelievers, they will have to stand in the day of the Lord as in judgment, and when there are traces of sin found in their lives—they are unbelievers—they will be cast into the eternal lake of fire.

Like the Apostle Paul, every pastor looks forward to the day of Christ, where there will be this great rejoicing. They look forward because they want to receive this reward from none other than Jesus Himself. Every pastor would want the believers to live out God's truth in their lives that they have been taught and preached to, as Paul said, "That I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain." Do you know what is the most discouraging and disappointing thing for pastors and preachers? It is when the believers are not living out God's truth, which they have preached and taught them. That is when the pastors and preachers would feel that they are no longer effective—that all their efforts are wasted.

But when the pastors and preachers see the believers living out God's truth in their lives—like in this case, they stop murmuring and complaining, they are living their lives in godliness, blameless, pure, and without fault, sharing the Gospel to the unbelieving world—they know they will rejoice in the day of Christ. They know that all their efforts, all the time, resources, and energy they invested in preparing the messages are not wasted. As Paul said, "That I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain." That is the greatest joy the believers can give to the pastor. And for that matter, that is the greatest joy you can ever give to your parents, to your Sunday School teachers, to the Bible facilitators, to the fellowship leaders, and so forth.

But it must begin somewhere. It must begin with the command: stop murmuring and complaining in all situations, in all circumstances. And remember the testimony—the world will watch how you live your life. You must be blameless, pure, and without fault. And remember the goal—you must live this godly life so that, through your life, you may bring the Gospel that brings eternal life to the unbelieving world. When that happens, you will bring great joy to the ones who have taught you.

If every member, every child, and every individual were to apply this principle into his or her life, what a wonderful light we will all shine in this dark and sinful world. Think about this: if all of us were to obey this command, live out our Christian testimony, and accomplish this goal, what a wonderful light we will all shine for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, all to the glory of His precious name.

Let us pray:

Father in heaven, we thank thee for this opportunity that we can consider this portion of Scripture. We thank thee for thy Word. We thank thee for thy truth, that we are able to learn from thy infallible and inerrant Word. We pray that we will not just be hearers only but to be doers of thy Word as well, rightly applying the word of truth into our lives. And we pray that thou wilt speak to us and continuously speak to us, and may the Holy Spirit empower us and fill us, so that we will be able to live out this truth in our lives, all to the glory of thy precious name. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.