“How to Win With EGR People”
Numbers 11:10-17, 24-30
Many of you have relatives, work with people, or have neighbors who are EGR people. They are Extra Grace Required people.
In Numbers 11 Moses faced many EGR people. 11:1, “Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Fire from the Lord raged among them and destroyed the outskirts of the camp.”
Numbers 11:4-6 – “Then the rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt, and the people of Israel also began to complain. ‘Oh, for some meat!’ they exclaimed. We remember all the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic that we wanted. But now our appetites are gone, and day after day we have nothing to eat but this manna!”
They were complaining to Moses that God was not doing enough for them.
Did the children of Israel have reason to complain? The area of the country they were traveling in was a bleak, barren desert wasteland. Granite mountains without vegetation faced them on all sides.
Not all the people who left Egypt were God honoring people. The “rabble” traveling with the people of Israel pretended to follow the Lord but were not true followers.
The Apsi-bull cult was a popular religion in Egypt and there were many followers of this cult that were part of the 2 million plus crowd in the desert. When Moses ascended on Mt. Sinai the “rabble” persuaded Aaron to compromise and go back to the bull cult and the cult followers helped him craft a “golden calf” to worship.
It doesn’t take long for complaints and negative attitudes to spread. The people were fed up with “manna” and wanted meat. They were willing to die for a great big juicy steak.
Numbers 11:10 - “Moses heard all the families standing in front of their tents weeping, and the Lord became extremely angry. Moses was also very aggravated.”
Extra Grace Required people are not easy to satisfy. EGR people cause conflicts.
Moses had experienced the miraculous power of God at work in delivering the children of Israel from Egypt. Now in the desert Moses experienced continual conflict and complaints.
I. You Can Expect Continual Conflict & Complaints
Like Moses we all face continual conflict. Jesus said as long as we live in this world we will face tribulations and sorrows. (John 16:33)
Moses was tested by continual stress. (Numbers 11:10-15) Moses complained to God that he didn’t deserve the kind of treatment he was receiving from the people. What was he to do; he couldn’t pull meat out of the air. Verse 14-15, - “I can’t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy! I’d rather you killed me than treat me like this. Please spare me this misery!”
Moses was worn out, burned out, depressed and exhausted. He was ready to give up. God answered his cry by telling him to recruit 70 other leaders to work with him in carrying the load.
Whenever you are emotionally drained or physically exhausted don’t make any major decisions. Wait on the Lord and catch your breath. Take a break and get a big picture of life. Get a new perspective after rest.
Moses recognized he needed help. God promised Moses help – Numbers 11:16-17 “the Lord said to Moses, “Summon before me seventy of the leaders of Israel. Bring them to the Tabernacle to stand there with you. I will come down and talk to you there. I will take some of the Spirit that is upon you, and I will put the Spirit upon them also. They will bear the burden of the people along with you, so you will not have to carry it alone.”
God provided 70 leaders to reduce the work and ministry stress Moses faced. God also met Moses as he worshiped in the tabernacle. God then gave Moses a new assignment, to tell the people that meat was coming. The children of Israel would get more meat than they could eat.
God brought quail hovering just three feet above ground within reach for the picking – so much quail that they covered the ground for the distance of one day’s journey. There was more than enough quail to feed two plus million people.
Moses seemed to go from one conflict to another. Chapter 12 he faces criticism from Miriam, his sister, and Aaron, his brother. Criticism is hard to take but especially hard when you are already weak. Moses’ wife Zippora had died. Moses remarried a Cushite woman from Ethiopia. He married a woman of a different race. Their main complaint was against his marriage, but also because they were jealous of the power and influence of Moses.
Criticism is especially a challenge with it comes from people closest to you, in this case a brother and a sister.
As we grow and mature as a Christian we learn to listen to criticism without getting bent out of shape. No matter how successful you are or how hard you try you will not be exempt from criticism. Criticism often has at its basis jealousy. Not everyone is happy when you make personal achievements.
It is often helpful to find out all the facts before finding fault with others. Stephen Covey in his book “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” tells the story of a man and his children who boarded the New York subway. The children were loud, boisterous and disruptive. The man was sitting beside Covey and was oblivious to his children’s behavior. Finally Covey said, “Sir, your children are disturbing everyone. I wonder if you could control them a little more.” The man looked at Covey and said, “Oh, you’re right. I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don’t know what to think, and I guess they don’t know how to handle it either.” Covey’s attitude instantly changed. He said, “I learned a valuable lesson: seek to understand before seeking to be understood.”
Moses faced a final test when the children of Israel reached the edge of the land of Canaan. The ten spies convinced the rest of the people that God had brought them to a dead end. A wall may as well have been constructed along the borders of Canaan. They refused to obey God and trust Him for victory.
Because of their lack of faith, God sent the children of Israel on a 40 year journey in the desert. Only Caleb and Joshua believed God was able to deliver the giants into their hand. They had the privilege of entering the Promised Land 40 years later. Because a majority of the people refused to trust God, God closed the opportunity for the people to move into the land of Canaan. Moses may have had to deal with his personal resentment against the people for his not being able to settle in the Promised Land.
Moses had a choice. He could become bitter and resentful or learn to live with stress and give faithful service by serving the Lord. Moses chose to faithfully serve the Lord. With the help of God you can ignore petty criticism of EGR people and wait on the Lord.
When criticized don’t retaliate and recruit people for your side. Determine to focus on the future and express kindness to your offender.
#A lady who once worked in a grocery store often assisted elderly people. One elderly woman shopped nearly every day and would only buy a few items. After a month the grocery store employee asked why she came so often and bought so little. She said: “I live with my nephew. I can’t stand him, and I am not going to die and leave him with a refrigerator full of food.”
God’s way is not taking the vengeance initiative. Let God deal with the future rather than seek vengeance. Look for the best in people and try to bring out the best in them.
Jay Kesler, president of Taylor University, told about a state trooper who was awarded an “Outstanding Trooper” award. Kesler who attended the same church as the trooper said to the him: “The governor said that in 15 years as a trooper, you haven’t once roughed up a drunk or used excessive force on anyone. How can you be a state trooper for 15 years, dealing with the kind of stuff you deal with, and have that happen?”
The trooper responded: “Well, I guess two things,” “First, if I am called to break up a fight at a tavern, I never say to myself. There’s a drunk. I always say to myself. There’s a man, someone’s husband, someone’s son, someone’s neighbor, who got drunk. So I always try to think of him as a man, not a crime.”
“Secondly, the Bible says that a soft answer turns away wrath. So whenever I walk up to the window of an automobile, I always speak a little lower than the person I’m speaking to.”
What is it that causes EGR people to be complainers? The children of Israel constantly complained because they did not trust God.
II. The Answer to Complaining
When you read over the story about the Children of Israel and their complaining to Moses and to the Lord you find the root cause of their complaints is the fact that they did not trust God. They did not trust God to provide for them. And what God did provide was not enough in their eyes. They wanted more.
The antidote to complaining and having a critical spirit is TRUST. TRUST is the answer to complaining, dissatisfaction and discontent.
We need to be able to say what Paul said in Philippians 4:11-12, “…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
We find a dramatic story of trust in the Gospels. (Matthew 14:22-33) The disciples are with Jesus near the Sea of Galilee. Five thousand men plus women and children crowded around Jesus and listened to his teachings. Toward evening the disciples told Jesus to send the people away so they could buy food. Jesus said, “You feed them.” They replied, that’s impossible, we only have five loaves of bread and two fish.
Jesus took the loaves and fish and after blessing them he gave the bread and fish to his disciples and they handed the food out to 5,000 men plus their families with twelve baskets of leftovers.
After that Jesus sent his disciples on a boat to sail to the other side of the lake and he went into the hills to pray.
The disciples got caught in a storm and were fighting heavy waves. About three in the morning Jesus came on the lake walking on the water. When they saw Jesus at a distance they cried out in fear because they thought he was a ghost. Jesus called to them, “I am here, don’t be afraid.”
Peter called to Jesus, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you by walking on water.” “All right come,” Jesus said. “Matthew 14:29-32, “So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he looked around at the high waves, he was terrified and began to sink. ‘Save me, Lord!’ he shouted. Instantly Jesus reached out his hand and grabbed him. ‘You don’t have much faith,’ Jesus said. ‘Why did you doubt me?’ And when they had climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped.”
All the disciples were in the boat and only Peter trusted Jesus to get out of the boat. Pastor John Ortberg wrote a book and study guide complete with video: “If You Want to Walk on Water You Have to Get Out of the Boat.” Peter did walk on water for a few steps. I know of no one else who has walked on water besides Peter and Jesus.
What did it take for Peter to get out of the boat – trust and willingness to take a step of faith and risk failure?
All of us have the choice to step out of our boat of security and experience the high adventure of following the Lord Jesus. The key is making sure that it is Jesus who is calling us to “Come.” Stepping out of the boat at the command of anyone else is hazardous to your health.
Individuals who have trusted God have seen the mighty hand of God at work.
God called out to Moses from a burning bush to deliver the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt. Moses stepped out by faith and faced Pharaoh and his army.
Moses trusted God and the Red Sea parted. The children of Israel walked across the Red Sea on dry land. (Exodus 3:7-10, 14)
Gideon trusted God to pare down his army of 32,000 to 300 and defeated the Midianite army.
Here is the question each of us has to face. Do we believe God is who He says He is? Is God trustworthy? When we trust God and take him at His Word we can do what Peter did. Peter succeeded in doing, in God’s power, what he could never do alone.
What are the areas that God is calling you? Step out of your boat of security by faith and keep your eyes of Jesus, not on your circumstances. Keep on walking. Jesus doesn’t want you to stop when the winds and waves of adversity are blowing. Keep walking and trusting when you face obstacles.
Fear and lack of faith cause you to sink. When you keep walking in challenging times, God promises to walk with you. Jesus is there to take your hand.
When you encourage EGR people to fully trust Jesus, both you and EGR people are winners.
What is it that causes you to fear? You have the choice to either fear or trust Jesus. Jesus can help you face the storms of life with greater confidence.
Let us pray.
Choir
