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Breaking Free From Sin: Complaining to Contentment | Numbers 11
Did you know that even minor complaints can erode our trust in God and lead to bigger issues in our lives? Join us as we share a personal story of a laundry disaster that turned into a lesson in divine timing, teaching us patience and trust in God's plan. We reflect on how this mishap, which initially felt like a curse, ultimately became a blessing, revealing the profound ways in which God works through our struggles.
In this thought-provoking episode, we tackle the danger of complaining by examining the Hebrew word "anon," which means to mutter or mumble. By looking at Numbers 11:1 and other Biblical passages, we understand how harboring complaints signifies a lack of faith in God's goodness. Learn how transforming your grumblings into prayers can strengthen your relationship with God and bring peace during challenging times. We also draw from the Israelites' journey to highlight how unchecked complaints can lead to larger problems, and why it's crucial to seek God's guidance through prayer.
We round off our discussion by celebrating the growth of our church community and the mission we are all called to embrace. Reflecting on the blessings in Numbers 6 and Moses' invitation to Hobob, we encourage you to think about who you can invite to join God's work. Finding true contentment and joy in Jesus is essential, and we offer practical steps for getting more involved in the church community, such as baptism and participating in ministries. We conclude with a prayer of salvation for those ready to accept Jesus, inviting everyone to join us in worship and gratitude for God's unwavering presence in our lives.
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remember that time in life that you complained the most, that you complained the most, where you feel like that you just couldn't believe what happened. You were just absolutely flabbergasted. And how could God allow this? I remember just a dumb little time in our life where I was complaining the most. Michelle and I had just gotten married. A few months later, we had just bought our first house. In our first house, all of our movers brought everything in and thank God for movers, amen. We're so thankful for the movers, but also never trust the movers. Never trust the movers. And I remember being in my church office that next week, after everything had just moved in, michelle was doing our first load of laundry. She calls me and she basically just says there's water, and there's water everywhere, and she said it just all happened. I can't believe it. Blah, blah. I said what happened? She said I don't know, but I did a load of laundry and it dumped the entire cycle of water from our upstairs to our main level, down to our basement Three floors. There was water and so she said you need to come home. So I came home, I gave our insurance agent a call and the adjuster came over and all of that and basically we just had the return hose had come in out of the wall, so there was a whole cycle of water everywhere. And so there we are, newly married, first home, and all the construction crew comes in and all they can do at first is they just rip out all of our carpets, right, they rip out all of our carpets and they bring in like those massive blower fans Not like the glorious sound of a box fan. That's the best sound on the planet Ask David Ellis. That's the best sound on the planet. But that huge blower fan. And that is the way that we lived for two weeks, right? I mean, we were just, to be honest, we look back on it now and laugh, but we were miserable. We were miserable, right, because that's not the way that we pictured our first months of marriage, our first time in our new home. We're getting splinters walking around on all the plywood, all the decking, and all we hear is we're like hey, would you speak up please? And roar of the fan just roaring at our home. It was awful and I just remember my heart being so, and I just remember my heart being so bitter, like God. How could you allow this to happen, god? What is your purpose, god? Why? And then it happened Just a couple of months later the insurance kicked in and we had brand new floors and we had brand new paint. It looked like a brand new house. We were better than before.
Speaker 1:I felt dumb for all my complaining. Can I get an amen? You ever been there? I just felt stupid. I was like, oh well, god, I guess you did have a plan. Oh, I guess you are all powerful. Oh, I guess you are good.
Speaker 1:And that so often happens. I can't tell you how many times that's happened in my life, my sinful heart, my sinful life, or maybe in your life, that we spend our time complaining, we waste our hearts on complaint and all along, god is just working out something for his glory and for our good, something that's better. Can I get an amen? But also there are times in life that we go through difficult times, that God is working it all out but you don't see the outcome in this life. But God is still working it out for his glory, still working it out for our good, why? Because God is working it out for the eternal life and God promises that he will never waste a season in our life. He promises that he will never waste a hardship in our life as we, that he will never waste a hardship in our life.
Speaker 1:As we're going through the book of Numbers, I want you to see that this whole book is all about breaking free from sin. This is a very interesting book. Honestly, I've never heard a sermon series preached through the book of Numbers before, and so it's really fun just to study this and to go on this journey with you. I can't imagine a better journey, as we're just walking through all of the word of God together. We started in Genesis and, lord willing, we're going to go through Revelation. I don't know, it might take us five to 10 years, I don't know, but I can't think of anything more important than to walk through the word together as a church. I heard this week a pastor say it takes the whole Bible to make a whole Christian. It takes a whole Bible to make a whole Christian. So we want to make sure that we're giving. We're giving, we're showing the truthfulness of all of God's word, and so we're seeing, through the book of Numbers, how it applies to our life.
Speaker 1:What is the book of Numbers? Well, the book of Numbers is where they are wandering around in the wilderness on the way to the promised land. God has already saved them out of Egypt. God has already baptized them. 1 Corinthians 10 says through the Red Sea. Now they're wandering through their life and they're wandering to the promised land, and it helps us to see how we are called to live, to see what our sinful condition is, to see what our difficulties are, to see what our struggles are. It reminds us that we're not crazy because we're not alone, that other people are going through this wilderness of life as we are, as we are journeying through our wilderness through to the promised land of heaven. Your wilderness is hard. There are difficulties, there are trials all the way through your wilderness. There are things going on in your life that no one knows about. How hard it is to go through what you're going through. And hear me, there are things that go on in your life that people know about, but they have no idea how difficult it is on you. These are the things that we are seeing through this passage of scripture.
Speaker 1:As we are looking at the book of Numbers, it's fascinating to me how it could only take them a few months to travel from Egypt to the promised land, but yet they did it in 40 years. Why? Because of their sin, because of their complaining, because of their lack of trust of God. See, they traveled for about a year up to Mount Sinai, which was at the end of Exodus and all throughout Leviticus. And after that year in Mount Sinai, it was another 39 years through the wilderness. Someone said and I love this quote that it took 40 hours to get Israel out of Egypt. But it took 40 years to get Egypt out of Israel. Can I get an amen, man? I love that.
Speaker 1:So what we're talking about this morning is breaking free from complaining and breaking free to contentment. Breaking free from complaining and breaking free to contentment. Let's check this out. Number one our problem with complaining. Everybody say problem, everybody say problem. Complaining is a problem, it's a problem to God and it's a problem of ours.
Speaker 1:Numbers, chapter 11, verse one, says this and the people complained in the hearing of the Lord. The people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes. I want you to see here that the people were complaining. That Hebrew word is the word anon. Everyone say anon, you didn't know you'd be speaking in tongues and churches born in anon. Anon, complain, it just means to mutter. It means to mumble, it means to say things under your breath. In fact, it even looks like here that they are not complaining to God. They're complaining about God. They may not even be complaining to someone else. It might just be the complaints and the secrecy of their own heart, or it may be just under their breath, or it may be to the person that's right next to them, but the whole point is is that God hears them.
Speaker 1:What does it mean to complain? To complain or to murmur refers to as expressing dissatisfaction or distrust towards God. Dissatisfaction or distrust towards God. Dissatisfaction or distrust towards God it is a presence of frustration, contentment, irritability in our life. It is often a low, ongoing or indirect way to show that we are dissatisfied. Biblically, it means that we are dissatisfied, distrusting God about his goodness, his power, his love, when we are going through something difficult. The Bible talks about complaining a lot. Why? Because we struggle with complaining a lot. Let me change that around. I struggle with complaining a lot. I am not a perfect pastor. I'm a pastor that is going through his wilderness. I'm a pastor that is going through his wilderness. I'm a pastor that's going through my journey just like you're going through your wilderness, just like you are going on your journey as we follow Jesus together. Can I get an amen? But God takes complaining seriously.
Speaker 1:Song of Solomon, chapter two, verse 15, says it's the little foxes that spoil the vine. In other words, often it's the little sins that go unobserved or unchecked in our lives. It's those little things that mount up to big things. John, chapter 16, not on the screen, verse 33,. Jesus said in the world you will have tribulation, but take heart. Jesus said I have overcome the world, meaning expect difficulty in your life, expect suffering in your life, expect tribulation and trial in your life. Romans, chapter five, verse three, says in your sufferings we are called to rejoice in Christ. We're called to rejoice in our time of sufferings. First Corinthians, chapter six, verse 20, says that we are to glorify God in our body and in our spirit. That means with what we do with our life, and we're to glorify God even with our attitude. James, chapter 1, verse 2, says that we're to count it all joy when we go through many different trials of different kinds.
Speaker 1:We see here in this passage that the people complained in the hearing of the Lord and God heard it. I've learned in my life that if I don't complain to God, then I'll complain about God. Psalm, chapter 142, verse two. The psalmist David said I pour out my complaint before him before God. I tell my trouble before him before God. I tell my trouble before him before God. In other words, god knows you have complaints, he knows I have complaints. He knows that we have things in our life that we don't like, that we don't agree with, that are very hard for us. And so God doesn't say shut your mouth and don't ever talk about them. He don't say that. God says why don't you bring your complaints to me? God says why don't you pour out your complaints to me? Remember, if we don't complain to God, which is prayer, then we complain about God, which is sin.
Speaker 1:We see here in the Bible what complaining is. We see it all throughout Israel's life that complaining could be different forms of complaining mumbling or grumbling, moaning or groaning, huffing or puffing, whining or sighing, fussing or cussing. Can I get an amen? Those are all kind of different types of complaining. And even when a complaint about life doesn't mention God personally, god still takes it personally because he's the one over your life. And here's what's fascinating to me this was not the only time that they struggled with this.
Speaker 1:We're going to look at literally chapters 1 through 20 of Numbers. Very quickly, we see that Miriam and Aaron complained about Moses. They were the other two leaders with Moses Numbers. Very quickly, we see that Miriam and Aaron complained about Moses. They were the other two leaders with Moses Numbers 12 too. Miriam and Aaron said has the Lord indeed spoken only through you, moses? Has God also not spoken through us? And the Lord heard their complaint. What were they doing? There was complaining within the leadership of the people of Israel. Also, the spies we talked about last week complained about the promised land, numbers 13, 31. Then the men who had gone up with him said we are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are. They were complaining about the mission of God, where God was leading them, where God was calling them to go. They were complaining about their destination.
Speaker 1:We see a man by the name of Korah and he gathered people with him. He complained to them and gathered people along with him. Korah and company complained about Moses, number 16, three. They assembled themselves together against Moses, against Aaron, and said to them you have gone too far, for all in the congregation are holy, every one of them. The Lord is among them. Why, then, do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord? The people, korah and the people are saying Moses, who do you think you are? And Moses was known as one of the meekest men on the earth. Moses' answer would be I don't think I'm anybody. I don't even want to do this. God called me to do this. I'm just doing what God has called me to do. We see, moses complained about the people and he struck the rock sinfully. Numbers 20, verses 10 through 11. Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock and he said to them here now you rebels, shall we bring water for you out of this rock? Remember, god called him to speak to the rock, not to strike the rock. Moses instead lifted up his hand, he struck the rock with his staff twice and water came out abundantly and the congregation drank, and their livestock.
Speaker 1:We see that complaining was a constant problem in the people of God in Israel, through their wilderness wonderings. And I'll be honest with you this is brilliant. This is genius by Satan. This is genius of the devil. It's brilliant why? Because if you can't stop God, then maybe he can stop God's people. If you can't stop God from leading the people, then maybe he can stop the people from following God.
Speaker 1:If I was the devil, this is exactly what I would do in every family that I could get to. I would get the parents complaining. I would get them dissatisfied and complaining about where their family is going. I would get the kids complaining about the parents. I would get the parents mad at the kids. I would get everybody complaining and everybody not loving and not enjoying and not trusting each other. If I was the devil, this is exactly what I would do in the church. I would get the leadership to start arguing, complaining about each other. I would get people complaining about where the church is going, where God is leading the church, where the church is heading, where the Holy Spirit is taking the church. I would get the people complaining about the leadership and I would get the leadership complaining about the people.
Speaker 1:And here's what I believe that God does not bless the life of a complainer. God doesn't bless a complaining family and God does not bless a complaining church. Why? Because complaining shows that we don't trust God and that we are not satisfied in God. Complaining shows we are literally saying with our words either God you're not good or God you're not in control. God you're not loving us or God you're not all powerful.
Speaker 1:This is exactly what Satan wants to do, which is why Philippians, chapter two, verse 14, sums up all of their wonderings to say this you ever noticed this before? Philippians 2, 14 says so do all things without grumbling or disputing. Do everything in your life and every season and every hardship and everything that you go through. Do it all, but no grumbling and no disputing. That you may be blameless and innocent children of God, without blemish, in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation among whom you shine like lights in the world. In other words, he's saying the world is watching, the world is our mission, the world is what we're seeking to win, and so why would we complain about God and go and reach the world to that same God? In other words, the world's not gonna believe you that your God is good, that your God is loving, that your God is all powerful, that your God's in control. Why would they want the God that you complain about? Why would they want the God that you complain about? Why would they want the life that you complain about?
Speaker 1:But I just want to say how thankful I am that we are not in a complaining church, because I've been in some complaining churches amen, and you probably have too. I'm so thankful that this is not the condition of our church. You don't know how many times that I have bragged on you. So thankful for your willingness that we just get to follow Jesus together. We get to express and to experience the leading of the Holy Spirit together, because here's the deal. It is not your church, it is not my church, it is not our church, it's God's church. Can I get an amen? And I don't want what I want and you don't want what you want and we don't want what we want. We want what God wants, because this is God's church and we want His will to be done. If you believe that, put your hands together this morning. This is his church and we want his will, we want his way to be done. So I just wanna personally say, as your pastor, what an honor it is to serve here, to get to be a part of a church that truly loves one another, that truly loves Jesus and that truly loves getting to see what God is doing, and I love that we get to follow a Lord, follow a Savior.
Speaker 1:Listen to me, in all of his 33 years of life, as he's the one who unjustly suffered the most, that Jesus never one time was guilty of complaining, either outwardly or inwardly Luke 23, 44, when Jesus could have hurled complaints from the cross, instead he said Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. Listen to this. 1 Peter 2, verses 22 and 23, says that Jesus committed no sin. Neither was there any deceit whatsoever found in his mouth when he was reviled. When people complained about him or insulted him, he did not revile in return or return insults or return complaints. When he suffered listen he did not threaten anyone. Instead, he continued entrusting himself to the one who judges justly, entrusting himself to the one who judges justly when your small or great complaints of life bubble up in your heart. This is the passage that our hearts need to rewind and go back to God. May I continue to entrust myself to you. Who judges justly?
Speaker 1:Ephesians, chapter four, verse three, says be eager to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. In other words, we can't create the unity of the spirit, we can't make it, we can't manufacture it, we can't fabricate it and you sure can't fake it. But the Bible says that we're just called to maintain the unity of the bond of peace that he gives us through the Holy Spirit. We just take it, receive it, enjoy it and maintain it, and not ruin it. Can I get an amen?
Speaker 1:So I would encourage us whenever these things happen in life and we feel like that we have legitimate complaints, again, the Bible doesn't tell us just to shut up. Here's what the Bible tells us to do Go to the source. Go to the source. If God is the source, then you go to God. If you gotta complain or you have a disagreement or something that you dislike or that you just don't want to have happen, then go to the source. It's literally called cross-centered complaining. You take your complaints upward to God in prayer. You take your complaints across as you go to the source and you never take your complaints downwards to others, so that they are bearing the burden of your complaint with you because they have enough on their plate as it is. So we see here the problem with complaining.
Speaker 1:But here's just the most fascinating part to me is our power over complaining. Everybody say power, our power over complaining, and this again just be in the next passage in the study that we are doing through the word of God. There's something here that I had never seen, that I had never noticed before, that starting in the chapter, the 11th chapter, they start complaining, but the first 10 chapters are about how good God was to them. In other words, they went through all of this goodness of God and then they forgot it all and they just started complaining about their life, such as the multiplication of God's people. Very quickly, quickly, numbers one, 45 and 46. So all these listed of the people of Israel by their father's houses, just from 20 years old and upward, every man able to go and war in Israel, all those listed were 603,550 people. Why is that significant? Very quickly let me tell you why Because God made a promise to one man, abraham, that he was going to be the father of a massive nation. The only problem was Abraham didn't have any children. Abraham didn't have a son until he was a hundred years old, and it was that son, isaac, that God brought about a nation that are now, at this point, just years later, 603,000 strong. And that's only talking about those who are able for war, the males from 20 to older. That is not even including probably we're talking here two to three million people that were rescued from the Egyptian enslavery, meaning we get to see here. They were experiencing the very blessing, the promises of God coming to fruition in their life.
Speaker 1:And I just want to stop and say I'm so thankful for what God is doing here. I'm so thankful for the way that God is multiplying us. I'm so thankful for the way that God is growing us. I'm so thankful for the way that God is growing our 930 service. I'm so thankful for the way that God is growing us. I'm so thankful for the way that God is growing our 9.30 service. I'm so thankful for the way that God is growing our 11 o'clock service. I'm so thankful for the way that God is growing our groups and our ministries and our mission. I'm so thankful for what God is doing personally in your life, the way that you're inviting people, the way that you're telling people about Jesus, the way that you're witnessing to them. And I can't wait for the day that God continues to multiply us. I can't wait till we have to have two 9.30 services and two 11 o'clock services. I can't wait until we've run out of room for groups throughout our facilities that we've got to take them into homes, in neighborhoods, in restaurants, in coffee shops, in businesses, in schools. I can't wait for the day that we don't have enough room for all the worship services that God has given us, because the way that he's using you to reach the community. I can't wait for the day that we get to see what God wants to do all around the cities around us because of what God started here. Now I'm so thankful for the multiplication of God, and so we've got to keep our eyes on the mission, check it out, our power over complaining, focusing on the goodness of God.
Speaker 1:The arrangement of God's people. Numbers 2.2. The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying the people of Israel shall camp, each by his own standard, with the banners of their father's houses. They shall camp facing the tent of meeting on every side. You're not going to believe this. I've never seen this before. So, basically, what happens is Numbers 2-2,. If you read it, you'll be bored out of your mind. If you need a good nap, go read Numbers 2, okay. So if you read it, you'll notice he lists all the tribes and how, the size of each of the tribes, and then he shows them where they are to encamp whenever the spirit of God stops and how they are to encamp around the tabernacle. Hear me. Artists and theologians got together and they numbered up all of those tribes and where they were to camp around the tabernacle. And notice, the whole arrangement of Israel makes a cross in the wilderness. We're seeing the very presence of God and the power of the gospel. Put your hands together because of the way that God loves to show and put his gospel on display. So we even see it in the arrangement.
Speaker 1:We see in number six God loves to bless his people. Check this out. This is a blessing that we're called to give others. God said speak to Aaron and the son, saying thus you shall bless the people of Israel. You shall say to them the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you, be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. So they shall put my name upon the people of Israel and I will bless them. God loves, hear me. He loves to bless you. He loves for you to bless others. He loves for us to bless others, collectively and together. He loves for us to bless the world. Notice again, they were complaining, even though that God was so good to them. God leads his people. Israel. Numbers 10,.
Speaker 1:In the second year, the second month, on the 20th day of the month, the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony and the people of Israel set out by stages from the wilderness of Sinai and the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Paran. They were staying there at the mountain for a year and God said you can't stay at the mountain, why Hear me? Because it's time to go on mission. We can't, as much as we love it, we can't stay here all week long. We've got to go out in the world. And we've got to go on mission because Jesus has given us the mission to go into all the world and to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that he has commanded us, because he is with us even into the end of the age.
Speaker 1:Maybe my favorite one a blessing of God that God wants to include everyone on his mission. What he is doing, moses begs Hobob to join. Not Billy Bob, hobob, check it out. Numbers, chapter 10, verse 29. Moses said to Hobob we'll just call him Bob. Moses said to Bob, the son of Reuel the Midianite, this is actually Moses' father-in-law. He said we are setting out for the place of which the Lord said I will give it to you. Moses said come with us, we'll do good to you, for the Lord has promised good to Israel and if you do go with us, whatever good the Lord will do to us the same we do to you.
Speaker 1:Moses was begging his father-in-law to come on the journey. He was begging his father-in-law to come on the journey. He was begging him why don't you come and be a part of what God is doing? Why don't you come and see the miracles that God is doing in our life? Why don't you come and see the life change that is happening before our very eyes? Why don't you come and be a part of this mission of God? Because as God is doing good to us, he's going to do good to you as well. My question for you is who are you inviting, who are you asking to join, to be a part of what God is doing here in your church? Who are you begging?
Speaker 1:Second Corinthians, chapter five, talks about how we are to be persuading others to be a part of this faith, persuading others to be a part of this faith. So we see here the power. Our power over complaining is by focusing on the things of God or, as Philippians 4 says, to set your mind on these things. Thirdly, our purification from complaining. If you've been guilty of complaining, like I have, and you feel guilt, you feel shame, you feel conviction, this is our purification.
Speaker 1:And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes. And when the Lord heard it check this out, his anger was kindled and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp. Then the people cried out to Moses, consumed some outlying parts of the camp. Then the people cried out to Moses. Moses prayed to the Lord and the fire died down. This is how serious God takes complaining. What is fire in the Bible? Fire in the Bible is the judgment of God, it's the wrath of God. Here's what he's showing them that even complaining is a sin that is deserving of hell, because there are times in life that complaining reveals a heart that does not trust God, that does not find its satisfaction, its joy, in Jesus. So what did God do? The Bible says that he judged, but at the same time, he gave them grace. He did not burn them. Instead, he literally burned around the camp so that they could see the fire, they could see the glory, they could see the judgment, they could see the wrath, they could see the holiness of God.
Speaker 1:How serious that he takes sin. What do they do? They went to Moses. Who is Moses, their mediator between God and man? What did they do? They cried out to Moses. He cried out to God. God stopped the fire.
Speaker 1:What do we do? We call out to our mediator Our mediator is Jesus 1 Timothy 2.5, that he is the mediator between God and man. The man, jesus Christ. What do we do? We call out to Jesus and we ask Jesus for forgiveness. We ask Jesus to cleanse us. I ask Jesus to purify me of any time that I distrust or I'm displeased, because who do I think I am to question the ways of my good, holy, perfect God? I love that Jesus. He's the one that went through my fire. He's the one that went through your fire. Jesus doesn't just stop the judgment of God. Jesus goes into the judgment of God, he goes to the cross, he pays for our sin, where the wrath of God was poured out on one man to purify us from all sin. That's what Jesus does. He goes into the fire on our behalf.
Speaker 1:And so four questions that I wanna encourage you to ask yourself this morning. Number one have you given your life to Jesus? Have you come to Jesus? And you just asked him. Jesus, I'm just asking you, begging you be the Lord of my life, be my savior, be my God.
Speaker 1:Being saved is not coming to church. Being saved is not choosing Christianity over all religions. Being saved is not just being seen as one in the faith. Being saved is you are coming to God on your own, asking God to forgive you of all of your sin and believing in Jesus' work on the cross and his resurrection from the dead for you. Nobody else can do it for you besides Jesus and you asking him. Are you finding, continuing to find, your forgiveness in Jesus? Maybe you've been saved, but yet you've still had struggles, like I have, like we all do. You're not alone and we continue to go to Jesus for our forgiveness. We continue to confess and ask him to forgive us.
Speaker 1:Number three are you living your life for Jesus? Are you living your life and trusting that he's good, he's working it all out. He's wise, he's in control, he's leading you. And are you finding your contentment in Jesus?
Speaker 1:The apostle Paul said in Philippians, chapter 4 he said I've learned how to live with nothing. And I've learned how to live with everything, he said, because I have found contentment in my life. Here's what's crazy you don't just struggle with contentment when you don't have something. You also struggle with contentment when you have everything. When you have absolutely everything, you struggle with contentment. This is our pathway to contentment. He said I've learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know both to have a little and I know how to have a lot In any and all circumstances. I've learned the secret of being content, whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I, whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need, I am able to do all things through him, through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4.13,. We call that the Tim Tebow verse. Amen, philippians 4.13,. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Speaker 1:Now, isn't it fascinating, in closing, that the context of that verse that you can do all things, anything, through Christ who strengthens you, even the hardest thing in life, to be content, the context of you can do all things through Christ is in the context of being content, realizing that Jesus isn't just enough for you. Hear me, he's more than enough. Those things that we have the greatest complaints of in all of our life, jesus outweighs that. Those things in our life that we dislike and we disagree with Jesus' goodness is far better than that. Those things in our life that we question that we wonder why God is allowed to happen. Better than that, those things in our life that we question that we wonder why God is allowed to happen.
Speaker 1:Jesus' glory and his love for you is incomparable to every lesser thing in our life. Jesus is our contentment. He is our satisfaction. Nothing will ever fully go your way. You'll never escape every suffering in this life. You'll never not go through hardship. The point is to learn now that you can have joy, you can have contentment, and it's found in Jesus alone.
Speaker 1:I'm gonna ask every head to be bowed and every eye to be closed. With every head bowed and every eye closed, I just want to encourage you this morning just to take your complaints to God even here, even now. Ask Him to forgive you, ask Him to strengthen you, ask Him to be your contentment. I pray that God gives you and he gives me a supernatural power to break free from the sin of complaining, so that we can enjoy the blessing of contentment that he is offering us. Maybe you're here this morning and God is just speaking to you in a very personal, in a very powerful way, and maybe today he is calling you, that today is the day that you finally give your life over to him and that you're saved, and that you're tired of running, and that you're tired of running, you're tired of not having him in your life and you're seeing your need for God more than ever before.
Speaker 1:So, right here, right now, you can pray something like this from your heart, your own heart, your own words, and you can say dear Jesus, I believe in you, I need you and I thank you for dying on the cross for all of my sin and I pray that you would forgive me of all of my sin. Jesus, I believe that you rose from the dead, you're alive, so I turn from my sin and I turn and I give my life to you. I live for you. The Bible says if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe with your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. And, jesus, we believe that we thank you for salvation and for anyone that prayed that prayer this morning. God, we just we welcome them into the family of faith in you and we pray these things in Jesus' name. And all God's people said would you put your hands together right now for anybody that gave their life to Jesus? We're so thankful for all that Jesus has done. I just wanna encourage you, just if you're here this morning and maybe you gave your life to Jesus, maybe you need to get baptized, maybe you wanna find out more information about our groups, our ministries, or you just wanna come to our Next Step lunch today. You're more than welcome to Grab that Next Step card, fill it out, make sure and turn it in to one of our boxes around here, or you can take it to our Next Step station in our lobby out there.
Speaker 1:I wanna ask us all to stand together. Let's all stand and we're gonna sing one last song of worship. I wanna encourage you just to focus on the goodness of God. I wanna encourage you to sing at the top of your lungs. I wanna encourage you to pour out your heart because of all that God has done for you in your life. Heavenly Father, we love you and God, we just pray in Jesus' name, lord, that you would receive our worship. God, I pray that we would raise our voices. God, I pray that we would give you our hearts during this time and we would glorify you for all that you have done, all that you are doing, all that you will do. God, we just continue to confess our sin to you. We ask you to forgive us and cleanse us, and, god, we just pray that we would live for you In our attitudes, our spirit, our body, our actions. You deserve it all, god, we love you. We pray these things in Jesus' name, and all God's people said amen. Let's sing to him.