Shiloh Bible Church
Hebrews 3:7-11
An Attitude of Gratitude
Introduction
A man dreamed of joining a monastery. His life’s goal was to become a monk. So one day he went to a monastery and talked to the head monk. The man asked, “What do I need to do to join?” The abbot told him that being a monk was challenging. He said, “In our order, monks take a vow of silence—they are only allowed to say two words every year.” The man responded, “That sounds a bit extreme, but I’ve always wanted to be a monk so I’m going to give it a try.” So he was shown to his room in the monastery. And for the next twelve months the man never said a word. At the end of his first year he was taken to the abbot, and was told he could now say his two words. The man said, “Bad food!” He went back to his room, and was silent for another twelve months. At the end of his second year he again was taken to the abbot for his two words. This time he said, “Hard bed!” And the man went back to his room. Another twelve months of silence passed. He was brought again to the abbot for his annual two words. This time the man said, “I quit.” The abbot looked at him and said, “Well, it doesn’t surprise me. Ever since you got here all you’ve done is complain.”
Complaining is commonplace in our society. It’s an ordinary, everyday experience. We hear it all around us. But complaining should not be a characteristic of the child of God. That’s what the writer of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews chapter 3.
The writer of Hebrews addresses his book to a congregation of Hebrew Christians who were struggling. So in 3:1, he encourages them to fix their thoughts on Jesus. Then in verses 7-11, he warns them of what can happen when you take your eyes off the Lord. He does this by reminding them of an episode in the life of their ancestors—the nation of Israel. And so we read in Hebrews 3:7: “So, as the Holy Spirit says …”
Let me stop there for a moment. In verses 7-11, the writer of Hebrews is quoting a passage of Scripture from the Old Testament. Remember, the author of this New Testament letter is writing to a congregation of Hebrew Christians. So he relies heavily on Old Testament quotes to prove his point. And this is the 13th Old Testament passage that he quotes thus far in the epistle—and we’re only in chapter 3!
Well, verses 7-11 are a quote from Psalm 95:7-11. And that psalm contains God’s warning to the people of Israel not to harden their hearts against Him as their forefathers did in the wilderness wanderings.
By the way, when the writer of Hebrews states in verse 7, “So, as the Holy Spirit says,” he is confirming the inspiration of Scripture. This book was inspired by the Holy Spirit of God Himself. It is not a collection of quaint, ancient stories and wise, old sayings. Rather, it is the very Word of God to you. And so we must pay attention to what it says.
“So, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, “Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.” So I declared on oath in my anger, “They shall never enter my rest.”’”
These verses recall the nation of Israel’s wilderness wanderings for 40 years. During that time, the nation committed many horrendous sins against God. But one of the most basic, reoccurring sins was that of complaining—murmuring—grumbling against the Lord.
And the writer of Hebrews warns us not to follow the same path that Israel walked. The writer wants us to learn from Israel’s sin and misfortune. Well, what lessons can we learn? What lessons can Israel teach us about complaining? Please turn with me to the second book of the Old Testament—the book of Exodus—Exodus chapter 16.
Now, please understand that when I use the word “complain,” I’m not talking about verbalizing a legitimate concern. There is nothing wrong with going through the proper channels to rectify a bad situation. There is nothing wrong with talking to your spouse or your neighbor or your boss about a concern that you have. That’s not what I mean when I use the word “complain.” Rather, complaining means to express resentment in a negative, unproductive manner. And that’s what the children of Israel did.
So, this morning I would like us to learn 3 lessons that the nation of Israel teaches us about complaining. The first lesson is this:
1. COMPLAINING REVEALS A LACK OF FAITH
In Exodus chapter 16 we find the people of Israel complaining about the food in the wilderness. And so we read in Exodus 16:8: “Moses also said, ‘You will know that it was the LORD when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the LORD.’”
We seem to think that a change of circumstances will stop our murmuring and complaining. But it didn’t work for the Israelites, and it won’t work for us either. You see, murmuring is not caused by circumstances. It is caused by a lack of faith and trust in the Lord.
One Christian writer explains it this way: “Our murmurings are against God and are an offense against Him. Murmuring undermines our confidence in God and His purposes. It results from a lack of faith in God’s ability and intentions to love us. Murmuring maligns God’s character. It defames the very goodness of God’s nature. And because murmuring is contagious, it discourages others, undermines their faith in God, and causes others to doubt God’s goodness.”
So, complaining reveals a lack of faith.
Now, some might respond to this by saying, “Big deal. So I complain! What’s the worse that could happen?” That leads us to a second lesson Israel teaches about complaining. And it’s this:
2. COMPLAINING RESULTS IN GOD’S DISCIPLINE
Turn ahead two books to Numbers chapter 14. You’ll remember that Moses sent 12 spies to explore the Promised Land and to bring back a report. And you’ll recall that 2 spies gave a positive report—Joshua and Caleb. But the other 10 spies gave a negative report. And the people of Israel listened to them and began to complain against the Lord.
So we read in Numbers 14:26: “The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: ‘How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. So tell them, “As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say: In 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. 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.”’”
Complaining results in God’s discipline. God disciplined the children of Israel for their complaining. And God will discipline us for our complaining.
A cowboy was driving down a road in his pickup truck. His dog was riding in back of the truck, and his faithful horse in the trailer behind. The cowboy failed to negotiate a curve and had a terrible accident. Soon a highway patrolman came on the scene. The patrolman saw the horse first. He was an animal lover and he realizing the serious nature of the horse’s injuries. So he drew his service revolver and put the horse out of its misery. He walked around the accident and found the dog, also critically hurt. He couldn’t bear to hear it whine in pain, so he ended the dog’s suffering as well. Finally he located the cowboy off in the weeds. It was obvious that the cowboy had suffered multiple fractures. The policeman asked, “Hey, are you okay?” The cowboy took one look at the smoking revolver in the trooper’s hand and quickly replied, “Never felt better in my life!”
Now, I’m not saying that we go through life smiling and pretending that everything is okay when it isn’t. Remember, there is nothing wrong with voicing your concerns and trying to correct a situation. But there is a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it. And if you choose the wrong way—the way of murmuring and grumbling and complaining, then you are inviting the Lord’s discipline in your life.
Well, you don’t want that! You don’t want the Lord to discipline you. So, how do you overcome the sin of complaining? This leads us to a third lesson about complaining. And it’s this:
3. COMPLAINING IS REMEDIED BY THANKFULNESS
Turn back again to the book of Exodus—Exodus chapter 34. The cure for complaining is not found in changing our circumstances, but rather gaining a proper view of God.
· Do you really believe that God has your best interests at heart?
· Do you really believe that God knows what He is doing?
· Do you really believe that God is good?
Look at Exodus 34:5: “Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.’”
And that is a wonderful description of our God. He is kind to us. He is gracious to us. He is good to us. And He deserves our gratitude and thanks.
On September 13, 2004, Oprah Winfrey celebrated her 19th season on TV. She celebrated by giving away a new car to every person in her audience that day. The 276 audience members were selected because friends or family had written about their need for a new car. One couple had 400,000 miles on their two vehicles. One mom wrote in that her son drove a car that looked like it had been in a gunfight. Oprah began by calling 11 people out of the audience onto the stage. She gave each of them a brand new Pontiac G6. Then she distributed a gift box to everyone in the audience. She told them that one of them contained the keys to a 12th new car. But when the audience opened the boxes, each one had a set of keys in it. Oprah started jumping up and down yelling: “Everybody gets a car! Everybody gets a car!” There was pandemonium on the set as everyone yelled and hugged each other. Then they went to the parking lot of Harpo Studios to see their cars, all decorated with giant red bows.
But one writer comments, “All is not well in Oprah Land. Now the people who received the new cars are complaining. Even though the local taxes and licensing fees were covered as a part of the gift, the IRS is going to take a sizable bite out of their pocket, because the $28,000, which is the value of the car, will be added to their income for this year. Their state income tax will also go up. Some of the winners thought that all this should have been taken into account and they should have been given the cash to cover these expenses as well.”
It’s not enough for you to buy me a brand new car; I want you to pay for all the expenses that go along with it.
Richard Whately said it well when he wrote: “It is generally true that all that is required to make men unmindful of what they owe God for any blessing is that they should receive that blessing often and regularly.”
And that is so true. If we’re not careful, we can become like Oprah’s audience—like the children of Israel—complaining, grumbling, murmuring—ungrateful.
Application
So, we need to learn to be thankful. But how do we do that? How do we cultivate the habit of thankfulness? Well, let me offer you a few suggestions.
· One way to build thankfulness in your life is to expand your mealtime expression of thanks. Include a word of thanks for the other blessings beyond the food that is in front of you.
· Another way is to begin and end the day with a time of thanksgiving. Psalm 92:1-2 says, “It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.” When you get out of bed in the morning, take a moment to thank the Lord for His love in letting you see another day as well as the love He will display to you throughout the day. And when you get ready for bed at night, take a moment to thank God for the ways in which He demonstrated His faithfulness to you during that day.
· A third way to develop a heart of gratitude is to sit down and make a list of the significant blessings that you are thankful for. Now, don’t just make a list, read it once, and then throw it away! Keep the list in your Bible and go over it once a week and express your thanks to God for His goodness to you. Your list might include such items as:
o Your personal salvation (how great it that!!)
o The availability of the Bible (cf. Wycliffe translators)
o The fellowship of Shiloh (wonderful church family)
o A godly spouse
o Children who know Christ and are growing in Him
o The health of your family
o Political freedom
o Material provisions for family needs
And the list could go on and on!
Conclusion
In her book, Springs In The Valley, Lettie Cowman tells the story of a man who discovered an old barn. And in that barn he found the seeds that Satan sows into the human heart. And there he saw numerous sacks containing the seeds of complaint. The man questioned Satan. And he learned that the seeds of complaining could be made to grow almost anywhere. But Satan reluctantly admitted that there was one place where he could never get those seeds to take root and grow. The man asked, “Where is that?” And Satan sadly replied, “In the heart of a grateful man.”
And that’s what we want to be, don’t we?—Grateful men and women of God.
Let’s pray.
As we go to prayer, think of one blessing that you are grateful for, and take a moment to give thanks to God for that blessing right now.
(Pause)
“It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.” Indeed, Lord, you are a kind God. We thank you for our lives and the privilege of living another day. We thank you for our homes and our families. We thank you for the abundance of material possessions that we enjoy. But most of all, we thank you for purchasing our salvation through the death of your Son on the cross. Thank you for the free gift of eternal life. We love you. And we appreciate all that you’ve done for us. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
