SPEAKER_01
0:20 All right, welcome back to the Daily Blade. 0:22 We're doing a section out of Philippians chapter 2, verses 12 through 16. 0:26 I am reading it so that we can learn it and know it. 0:29 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence, but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 0:45 Do all things without grumbling or 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 as lights in the world holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor 1:03 in vain. 1:04 We're going to dive in on Philippians 2 14. 1:07 The ESV says, Do all things without grumbling or disputing. 1:12 The way the New International Version says it is, do everything without complaining or arguing. 1:18 Now be honest. 1:19 You're probably listening to this by yourself. 1:21 So just be honest, you and Jesus. 1:23 Are you a complainer? 1:25 Like, do you have a tendency to be able to point out all the things that are wrong and then verbalize those things? 1:30 Are you a complainer? 1:32 And I know what you're gonna have, you're gonna say, you're like, no, no, no, I'm not complaining, I'm just saying, or I'm just speaking truth, or I'm just ex exercising my First Amendment rights so that everybody gets it right. 1:42 Okay. 1:43 Here's what complaining is complaining is expressing dissatisfaction or annoyance about something. 1:49 Voicing that a situation, an action, or a thing has fallen short of one's expectations or desires, typically without necessarily seeking to fix it. 1:59 Are you a complainer? 2:01 The Bible says do everything without complaining or arguing, disputing, grumbling. 2:07 Grumbling is the act of complaining in a low-key, muttering or persistent way, expressing dissatisfaction quietly, indirectly, or under one's breath, rather than openly or forcefully. 2:20 So are you disputing and arguing? 2:24 Do you? 2:24 Because the Bible says do everything without complaining or arguing. 2:27 Do everything without grumbling or disputing. 2:30 Well, are you arguing and disputing? 2:32 Do you do it online? 2:34 Do you do it in your family? 2:35 Do you do it at work? 2:37 My son just bought a shirt and it says this. 2:39 I'm not arguing, I'm just trying to explain to you why I'm right. 2:43 Is that you? 2:44 That can be me. 2:44 Now listen, for all of the online apologetics folks out there, praise God for that. 2:50 There is, of course, a place for apologetics. 2:53 Um Peter tells us to always be prepared or have an apologia to give an answer when somebody asks. 2:59 Here's the problem, though, when we argue with people, when we complain and argue, is that it never doesn't accomplish what you want it to accomplish. 3:07 In fact, you're not going to be able to talk somebody into the kingdom of heaven, because if you can talk somebody in, somebody else can argue them out. 3:14 So the question to ask is this if you are complaining or arguing, does what you were complaining about fall into the everything category? 3:22 Because the Bible says do everything without complaining or arguing. 3:26 That means like when you don't get what you want at work or your boss is mean, or the government does something stupid. 3:32 If it falls into the everything category, then the Bible says, don't do that. 3:37 Because the reality is, here's why we complain, according to James chapter 4, verse 1, here's why we complain and argue. 3:43 James asked this straightforward question. 3:45 He says, why? 3:46 He says, What causes fights and quarrels among you? 3:49 And if I were to give you the mic, I know what you would do. 3:50 You would explain the situation and you would point, well, my wife, my boss, this government, that referee, whatever it is, and here's something you might might want to ask yourself, what's the common denominator that you've had in every fight and quarrel you've ever been in? 4:04 And the answer is you. 4:06 James goes on to answer the question what causes fights and quarrels among you? 4:10 Is it not your desires that are birthed within you? 4:13 And then he simply puts it on the bottom shelf that we don't get what we want. 4:19 You see, when we complain, it's an affront against the sovereignty of God. 4:24 Don't believe me, go all the way back to the book of Genesis. 4:27 One of my favorite accounts, it's young Joseph. 4:31 He's his dad's favorite. 4:33 He gets his coat of many colors, and he shares that with his brothers. 4:37 God gives them a vision for his life, and he shares it with his brothers. 4:40 And over the next several chapters describing the life of Joseph, all kinds of terrible things happen to him. 4:47 All kinds of things that we would complain about. 4:50 I mean, he gets beaten up by his brothers, that's domestic violence. 4:53 He gets thrown into a pit to be left for dead. 4:56 And then Reuben, one of the brothers, says, Well, let's not leave him for dead. 5:00 Let's sell him so we can get something out of him. 5:02 And so he's sold on the auction block, and Potiphar buys him. 5:07 And so he experiences human trafficking. 5:10 He experiences slavery. 5:11 He works his way up at Potiphar's house. 5:13 And then one day, Potiphar's wife puts the moves on him and accuses him of trying to rape her, even though he flee that situation. 5:21 So now he's got a wrongful lawsuit. 5:24 He is found guilty. 5:25 They put him in jail. 5:26 This is wrongful imprisonment. 5:28 And over and over and over, what you find in the scripture is not Joseph complaining, but over and over and over, the Bible continuously says, and the Lord was with Joseph. 5:38 And then eventually, Joseph is able to interpret the dreams of two men that work for the Pharaoh and in Egypt. 5:46 And he says, Hey, listen, when you go before the Pharaoh, one of you gets your job back. 5:50 And the next time you see the Pharaoh, why don't you let him know that I'm in here wrongly and maybe he'll get me out? 5:55 Next thing you know, the Pharaoh has this crazy dream about a coming famine. 5:59 And one of the guys that Joseph met in prison finally remembers and go, Oh, yeah, there was a guy named Joe down in prison. 6:06 Maybe he can interpret your dreams. 6:08 And so Pharaoh brings him up and Joseph interprets the dreams. 6:11 Next thing you know, Joseph finds himself a senior VP of Egypt, the most powerful land during that day. 6:19 And then one day through a series of famines and events, just like God had predicted, all of Joseph's brothers who beat him up, sold him into slavery, and put his life through a living hell. 6:28 Now he is standing in authority over them. 6:32 And you know what he does not do? 6:33 He does not complain. 6:34 Instead, he trusts the sovereign hand of God. 6:37 He says, Am I not now in the place that God has for me? 6:41 What you intended for evil, God intended for good. 6:46 Men, I dare you. 6:48 I dare you. 6:50 Over the next 24 hours, and hopefully this will lead into the next 24 years of your life to do everything without complaining or arguing.