The Problem with Complaining

Numbers 11:1-3
A baseball manger decided to play a rookie in right field one day. The regular right fielder wasn't happy about it, and loudly complained from the bench that it was a big mistake.
As it turned out the rookie was so nervous that he messed up big time. He made a couple of errors and misjudged several other fly balls. Each time he messed up, the veteran right fielder complained loudly from the bench.
Finally, late in the game the manager replaced the rookie with the veteran, mostly to shut the veteran up. Not long after, the veteran missed the first ball. Every time the ball came to him, he fumbled it. At the end of the inning, everyone waited to hear what he would say.
The veteran ballplayer slammed his glove down in disgust and said, "Skipper, that kid has right field so messed up nobody can play it."
Tonight we want to consider what the Bible says about complaining. While it is human nature to complain, it is out of place in church. We are God's people. We must submit to the Lord and stop complaining—that means we have to be willing to die to self.
After all God had done in miraculously delivering His people out of bondage, they started whining and complaining about what they didn’t have. All their complaining only made things harder on everyone. Not one ounce of good came from their weeping against the Lord.
Tonight we want to consider 3 reasons we should not complain.

I. COMPLAINING is COUNTERPRODUCTIVE-
We see how God felt about the complaining of the Israelites in Numbers
But God also speaks of complaining in the New Testament
1 Corinthians 10:10 says, "Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer."
Philippians 2:14 says "Do all things without murmurings and disputings"
These inward debates are counterproductive and they don't benefit anyone
It is easy to fall into a perpetual state of discontent and find something wrong with everything
As believers, we are to leave this griping alone in all we do
Not everything can be done as you would do it, but there are more ways of doing things
And rather than complaining, if you think there is a better way, make a positive suggestion
God showed how He feels about complaining with these Israelites
It displeased the Lord and kindled His anger against them
I am certainly glad that God deals with us today in grace or many of us would be consumed
Lamentations 3:22-23 "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

II. COMPLAINING is CONTAGIOUS-
If you remember when the Israelites were first camped at the edge of Canaan
They sent 12 spies and 10 of them brought back a negative report that spread through the group
In fact, in Numbers 14, it is said those 10 "made all the congregation to murmur."
Of the 7 things God says are an abomination, sowing discord among the brethren is listed
1 Corinthians 5:6-7 "Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened."
Consider that in Numbers 11, we find the people in general are complaining
Not of all them are destroyed, but some are.
It was an act of God's mercy that the whole people were not consumed
And yet, in a few short verses, they are at it