Complaining Citizens

Series: Citizens – Study through Philippians
Speaker: Tim Perkins
Date: February 6, 2022
Message Title: Complaining Citizens (Philippians 2:12-18)

 Theme Verse: (Philippians 1:27a NLT) Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ.

(Philippians 2:12 NIV) Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

(Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

 “To live above, with saints we love, that will be glory. To live below, with the saints we know, that’s quite a different story!” 

(1 Corinthians 3:17 ESV) If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

(Philippians 2:12b-13 NIV) continue to work out your salvation with fear and tremblingfor it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

(Philippians 2:13 NIV) for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

(Philippians 2:14 NIV) Do everything without complaining or arguing, 

 (Psalm 37:23 NLT) The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.

(Philippians 2:15 NIV) so that you may become blameless and pure, children of Godwithout fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.

(Exodus 15:24 NIV) So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”

 (Exodus 16:2-3 NIV) In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

(Exodus 17:2-3 NIV) So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?” But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”

 (Numbers 11:1 NIV) Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of theLord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.

(Numbers 14:26-28 NIV) The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 27 “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. 28 So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say:

(Numbers 14:29-30) 29In this desert your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 

(Numbers 16:11 NIV) It is against the Lord that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble against him?”

(Numbers 17:5 NIV) I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites.

(1 Corinthians 10:10-11 NIV) And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.

(Philippians 2:14 NIV) Do everything without complaining or arguing,

3 Reasons Why We Shouldn’t Complain or Argue

1. Stop for sake.

Philippians 2:15a (NIV) so that you may become blameless and pure, Do everythingwithout complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure,

2. Stop for the sake of .

Philippians 2:15-16a (NIV) so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life

 (Philippians 4:8 NIV) “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – THINK about such things.

3. Stop for the sake of your .

Philippians 2:16b (NIV) in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.

(James 3:1 NLT) Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.

Philippians 2:16b (NIV) in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.