This morning we return to our study through the book of Philippians. So please turn to Philippians chapter two. And I would like to read this morning verses 14 through 18. So we have the context of the verses that we would like to consider this morning from this text. We will consider verses 14 and 15. But I would like to read verses 14 through 18. Therefore, my beloved, let's start with verse 14. 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 in vain, even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise, you also should be glad and rejoice with me. Here in verse 15, Paul describes the Christians at Philippi as children of God. The New Testament describes Christians in many ways, but this is the characteristic description of Christians. We are children or sons of God. In the prologue to John's gospel, we find these significant and important words in John 1, verses 12 and 13. John says, but as many as received him, Jesus Christ, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. In Ephesians chapter two, verses 12 and 13, when Paul is writing to the Gentile believers, he reminds them of the fact that they had been separated from Christ, that at one time they were alienated from the commonwealth of Israel. They were strangers to the covenants of promise. They had no hope and they were without God in this world. That's who they once were. But Paul says, but now, In Christ Jesus, you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. So at one time, they were outside the family. They were not members of the household of God. But in Christ, they have been brought into the household and into the family of God. They have become children of God. In Romans chapter eight, verses 15 and 16, Paul writes, for you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, Abba, Father. The spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Formerly, we were not children of God. But now we are in Christ Jesus because we have received the Holy Spirit. We have been adopted as God's children and therefore now we can cry, Abba, Father. We are children of God and the Almighty God is our Father. And this is very important. If you are a Christian, you are by God's grace in Jesus Christ, a child of God. And this description is very important. It is vital. It is very significant because it carries with it inevitable implications. We see this throughout scripture. For example, in 1 Peter 1, verse 2, before Peter urges the Christian to whom he was writing, before he urges them to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which weighs war against your soul, he reminds them that they are children of God. He says to them that you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Peter says, once out of people, now you are God's people. All of these statements, and there are many others in the New Testament, all of these statements make it clear that the term children of God is a limiting term, and it is true only for Christians. Not everyone in the world is a child of God. Only Christians, In the biblical sense, in the biblical definition, only Christians are children of God. The whole emphasis here throughout the New Testament is that Christians, because we are children of God, Christians are different. Christians have been set apart because we are children of God. Here, therefore, is something which is basic and fundamental. To be a Christian is to be entirely different from the person who is not. It is not a difference in degree, but it is a difference in kind. It is not just a difference in certain things that we do or certain things that we don't do. It is a qualitative and a distinct difference. This is what is meant, and this is the point made in scripture by this term, children of God. And we see the same thing here from the Apostle Paul in our text. Before Paul exhorts them, or in the process of exhorting them to do certain things, not to do certain things, Paul reminds them that they are children of God in verse 14. And the appeal that Paul makes is based upon this fact. Paul's exhortation in these verses is put in terms of their status and their position as children of God. What it means and what it implies and what it tells us about ourselves. So we are to do everything remembering and realizing that we are children of God. It means everything in the Christian life. So the implication is this. In view of this special relationship of ours to God, in view of this very privileged position we are in as children of God, In view of who we are, by God's mercy and grace, we are to be what God asks us to be, and we are to do what he calls us to do. This is what Paul does in our text this morning. In our text, we see what God asks us to be and what he calls us to do. And what Paul says here under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit flows from his exhortation in verse 12, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Paul now gives us specifics. So let us consider the way in which we are to live as children of God. Let us consider the way we are to function as children of God. Let us look at what Paul has to tell us about our essential character as children of God. And Paul says in verse 15, You are to 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. Paul's point, Paul puts the subject in three words, blameless and innocent, and without blemish. Here we are looking at something of the essential nature of the Christian as a child of God. The meaning of these three terms really kind of overlaps each other considerably. This word blameless means free from fault. This word innocent or harmless as it is translated and other translations, means harmless. Innocent means harmless. And blemish or rebuke means we cannot be censored. This is the essential character of children of God. And perhaps the best way of putting it is to say that blameless is a description of or has a reference to our moral integrity manifesting itself externally. This term is one which calls us to live in such a way that those around us, those who are looking at us and observing us, will never be able to see or find anything in us which is legitimately worthy of blame or of criticism. Something that as children of God, we must realize and understand. As Christian people, we are being carefully scrutinized. We are being watched in everything that we do in this life, in every relationship we have in this life. And it may be a trite thing to say, but the world always judges Christianity The world always judges the Lord himself and even God by what it sees in us who call ourselves Christians. Therefore, Paul says that at all times and in all places and in every circumstance, Whether it is in our personal life, whether it is in our home life, whether it is in our professional life, in all circumstances, we must see to it that there is nothing which anyone can criticize. This is what it means to be blameless. Paul then says also, innocent. as blameless was a description of moral integrity manifesting itself externally. So innocent is moral integrity manifesting itself inwardly or internally. With this word, we are considering not so much what I am as I appear to others, but what I really am in and of myself. Those things that are not visible to anybody on the outside. If I want to make sure my external conduct and behavior are blameless, I must of necessity pay attention to those inner springs of conduct, my heart, from where all issues of life flow. This is the ultimate standard for Christian people blameless, but also innocent. This is to be our essential nature. Then Paul uses another term in order to complete his description. He says, without blemish. And this really is a summary of the other two terms. So there should be nothing in the Christian which in any way can mar our testimony as children of God. That is the standard. That is the standard which is set for you and me as children of God in the New Testament. That is the goal to which we should be striving. This is the position that we should be seeking to attain. And the ultimate reason for this is that we are children of God. We are to strive to be more and more like Christ. We are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Now all of us, as we are hearing these words, as this week as I was studying these words and meditating upon these words, I know that I myself fall far short of the definition of these terms. But as we sung this morning in our final hymn, Are you washed in the blood of the lamb? If so, then your garments are spotless before God. You see, this is who we really are in Christ. This is our standing before a holy God. We have been clothed, if you are a Christian, if you are a child of God, if you have repented of your sins and placed your faith and your trust in Jesus Christ, then you are clothed in his righteousness. So you and I as Christians indeed, and this is an amazing thought, You and I, indeed as Christians, stand before God as blameless, innocent, and without blemish. But this is to be our standard upon which we are to strive, to which we are to work out day by day through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are to work out our own salvation. We are to work to be blameless and to be innocent, to be children of God without blemish. And thank God there is a promise in the New Testament that one day we shall be we shall be blameless, spotless, and without rebuke. For the Bible tells us that there is one who is able to keep you from falling and who will present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. Jude 24. And in the meantime then, our business is to be striving after these things. striving to be blameless, striving to be innocent, striving to be children of God without blemish. This is the goal of every Christian. This is the standard for my whole life. It should be to become blameless and innocent and without blemish. And we see then in verse 15, that we are called to be without blemish, the children of God, partly because of our position of our status as children of God, but also because of the world in which we live. Our testimony before this world. God has said what we should be like in this world. Look at verse 15. 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. When we read this verse, we must see how urgently this appeal is needed by Christians at this present time. The world here means the mentality and the mode of life of those who are not Christians. It does not mean the world in a material or a physical sense, but the word is cosmos, the outlook and the way of looking at things that characterizes those who are not children of God. As children of God, we must consider then our relationship to this world in this particular sense. And the Christian then is to be essentially different from this world. The very words and the terms that Paul uses here make this abundantly clear, blameless, innocent, and without blemish. These terms are especially significant when they are contrasted with the words that Paul uses to describe the world itself, this generation that we currently live in. He tells us that it is crooked and it is twisted. And we don't have to look too hard to see that is true. This world in which we live is crooked and twisted. This word crooked means warped. That which manifests itself externally as being totally perverted. Twisted means distorted. It means corrupt. It means turned aside from the right path. So blameless is the opposite of crooked, while innocent is the opposite of twisted. It is in this way that Paul enforces upon us this great principle that as children of God, we are to be altogether and essentially different from those who are not children of God. And perhaps Paul brings out this contrast most all in the next phrase that he uses, in which he tells us that we are to appear or shine as lights in the world. Jesus told us the same thing that we read in our responsive reading. He says, you are the light of the world. He says, we are to let our light so shine before others so that they may see our good works and give glory to our Father who is in heaven. We are to shine as lights in this world, in this crooked and twisted world. Lights means luminaries. We are to light things up. It is the term that is generally used for the moon and for the stars in heaven. So the Christian in this world is to be like the moon and the stars shining in the night sky. We are to be absolutely and essentially different as the moon and the stars differ from the darkness, not only in their appearance, but in their essential nature. The nature of light is entirely different from the nature of darkness. And Paul says that we are to be what the light is to the darkness, what the stars and the moon are to the darkness of the night. This is how we are to live in this world. This is our function as children of God in this crooked and twisted world. you see of necessity. Because we are the children of God, there must be a striking difference between us and the world. Christians are not people who are remarkably like everybody else. We are children of God. We are not children of this world. We are not children of the devil. And we are to be entirely different, Paul says, from everyone else. And it is a real shame that many so-called Christian people have this unworthy desire to be like this world. And they have this fear of standing out in contrast to this world. And in light of what Paul says here, You have to wonder if they really are children of God. Only God knows, and only God can bring them to repentance. But Paul says, if you are a child of God, you're to shine like lights in this world. wicked, perverted, twisted, crooked generation. You and I are to be people like that. We are to stand out in society as lights in the world, as luminaries of the heavens. So in our relationship to the world as Christian people, what does this mean? It means that we are to shine the light on the depravity. It means that we are to rebuke and to warn this world. Light shines upon everything that is happening. There is nothing that can be hidden. There is nothing that can be disguised when light shines upon it. Consider what the scripture says about this. For example, in John chapter three, verse 20, for everyone that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light unless his deeds should be reproved. or again in Ephesians 5.13, but all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light, for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. So one of the functions of light is to reprove and to make manifest the works of darkness. You and I, as children of God, are to do that. We are to be lights in the world. We are to do that by how we live. We are to do that, as we will see next week, in what we say, holding forth the word of life. It means that because we are what we are, and we are who we are, we are to reprove, we are to unmask, and we are to expose. hidden works of darkness that are all around us and that are all about us. So as children of God, our business in this world is to make people see the kind of life that they are living. And the way for us to do that is to live a life which is exactly the opposite of theirs. We are to make the world see what it has become as a result of sin and evil by being lights ourselves and exposing these evil works. This is the way we are to live in this world. This is how we are to function. You see, the world, the lost, ought to be convicted by us. By being lights, we shall expose the hidden and submerged things of darkness. By being what we are, we will solemnly warn this crooked and twisted and perverse and immoral generation of its terrible and alarming danger and of the certain doom and the ultimate final judgment that will descend upon them. unless they repent and turn to the Lord. This is our function in this world as children of God. This is the implication, this is what it means to be a child of God. This is how we are to live, and this is what we are to do. Look again at verse 15. 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. How are we to do that specifically? Well, there are many things that the scripture tells us about this, about how we are to live so that we are shining light in this world. But here in our text in verse 14, Paul gives us a very specific theme. And it's something that is probably quite surprising. It is interesting that Paul begins in verse 14 with this issue of how we respond to things that happen to us. and how we as Christians relate to one another. Notice what Paul says at the beginning of this text in verse 14. Do all things without grumbling or disputing. So 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. There is a cause and there is an effect with that word that. If you want to be that, as Paul tells us here in verse 15, then do all things without grumbling or disputing. This is perhaps surprising, as I said, because we may not have looked upon this as something that's so very important in the Christian life. We are not to grumble and we are not to dispute or argue with one another. And the Greek text here emphasizes the word all things. because those two words, all things, come first in the Greek sentence. Whatever comes first in the Greek sentence is there for emphasis. All things. Some things is where we would like the bar to be set, but God has set the bar much higher. All things means all things without exception. So Paul tells us, If we are to live like we ought to live, if we are to be who we really are, if we are to function like we ought to function as children of God in this world, then we must do all things without grumbling or disputing. This word grumbling, it is derived from a root word that means speaking in a low tone. It means literally a secret debate, a secret discontentment in the heart. It can be described as a low mumble. It comes from a heart that is discontented. It comes from a heart that is dissatisfied. It comes from a heart that is disappointed. Something hasn't gone the way we thought it should go. And we begin to grumble. It gives a picture of mumbling so that words can barely be distinguished. It is an audible expression in low tones of one's unwarranted dissatisfaction. It is an expression of one's discontentment, resentment, or displeasure. William Barclay says, it describes the low, threatening, discontented muttering of a mob who distrust their leaders and are on the verge of an uprising. There's this mumbling and there's this grumbling. And it is always an issue of the heart, as all sin is, and grumbling will inevitably lead to disputing. Or this word is translated in Romans 14.1 as quarreling. It can be defined as complaining. Paul is basically saying here, stop complaining. Disputing is our inward grumblings, which find expression in our conversations. It is when our grumbling spills over into our conversations and we begin to complain, we begin to seek to try to win others over to our discontentment. One commentator said, disputing takes place when our grumbling moves from our heart to our heads and then vomits out of our mouths. Arguing often stirs up doubts and suspicions. This happens when we pass around our poison to others, when our silent grumbling turns to open complaining and arguing. Grumbling and disputing are sins of the heart that affect our minds. on how we think about things, how we respond to situations and circumstances that we don't like. These sins grow out of doubting, out of discontentment, out of anger. When bad things happen to us, or when we don't get our way, or when things are not going as we want them to, or as we think they should, we begin to grumble, and then we begin to argue. So Paul says, as children of God, we are not to do that. We are to do all things without grumbling or disputing. And this is a striking statement. and we must take it seriously because we all have the bent and the tendency to grumble and complain because we have a sin nature which tends to look at the negative rather than the positive. We all are to one degree or another prideful, and self-centered and we can easily begin to grumble and dispute when we don't get our way or when things are not going our way. So grumbling and complaining are spiritual problems of the heart and they must be dealt with and they must be defeated by the power of God. You see, God hates grumbling and complaining spirits. We may not think that this is the worst sin that a person can commit, but in the light of the absolute holiness of God, it is difficult to say that any sin is worse than any other sin, although God does call certain sins an abomination. However, as we read the Old Testament, we find that the sin of complaining, grumbling, and murmuring was a sin which on occasion brought great judgment from God. And there is no doubt here that this is what Paul had in mind when he wrote this. He had in mind the ancient example of the children of Israel. Paul is saying, do not be like them. This is why we read Psalm 106 this morning as our scripture reading, because it is a perfect account of those people. The children of Israel were filled with grumbling and disputing with almost every move that they made. God singled out that nation among all the nations of the world. He called them his own chosen people and he led them out of the bondage of Egypt. He showered blessings upon them. They were destined for the wonderful land of Canaan, but yet they constantly grumbled and murmured and complained and argued. We read in Exodus 14, when God was delivering them out of the Egyptian bondage, they grumbled even at the Red Sea. They asked Moses, is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken as a way to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? And then just three days later, after God's great deliverance at the Red Sea, they began to grumble again because they didn't have any water to drink. We read in Exodus 15, when they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter. And the people grumbled against Moses saying, what shall we drink? So Moses cried out to the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree and Moses threw that tree into the water and the water became pure. And then not long after that, in Exodus chapter 16, the children of Israel grumbled and murmured again in the wilderness of sin when they became hungry. Exodus 16 verses two and three, and the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the people of Israel said to them, would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. But again, the Lord is merciful to them. The Lord said to Moses in Exodus 16, 12, I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel. Say to them, at twilight you shall eat meat and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, your God. But then again, not long after that, Israel became thirsty again. Did they forget what the Lord had done earlier? They were thirsty again. So what did they do? They grumbled, they murmured, and they began to argue with Moses. So God told Moses to strike a rock so that Israel could drink water from a rock. Moses did what God told him to do. He struck that rock and water gushed forth from that rock, enough water to feed the entire or to quench the thirst of the entire nation of Israel. It's interesting that Moses called the name of that place Massa and Meribah because of the quarreling of the people of Israel. Again, in Exodus 32, the children of Israel grumbled about Moses because he had been gone too long. When he was meeting with God on Mount Sinai, we know what they did. They got Aaron to lead them in the building of a golden calf. They turned to idolatry. In Numbers 11, verses 4 and 6, we read that Israel grumbled about the manna that God had given them. They said that they wanted more, they wanted something else. Their appetites were almost gone because there was not enough variety in their diet. And they grumbled so much that God eventually sent serpents to chastise them for their grumbling, in Numbers 21, verse six. You see, what Paul is warning us about is illustrated perfectly in the case of the children of Israel. And what Brother Ted said this morning is absolutely right. We are very often just like them. Paul says, do not be like that. Do not be like the children of Israel. Do all things without grumbling and disputing. We must understand how serious this is before God. James 5 9 says, don't grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged. Behold, the judge is standing at the door. When describing apostates, In Jude verse 16, Jude says, they are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires. So all they want is what they want and when they want it. And if they don't get it, they grumble and they find fault. In 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 10, Speaking of the children of Israel in the wilderness, Paul says, we must not grumble as some of them did and were destroyed by the destroyer. And then he adds in verses 11 and 12 of 1 Corinthians 10, now these things happened to them as an example that they were written down for our instruction on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. Do not grumble or dispute. Do all things without that. Israel had known and experienced God's love. They had seen God's wonders and great demonstrations of his power to save them and to provide for them. And while everything was going well, they believed God and they trusted God. But as soon as something went wrong, as soon as they were deprived of something that they wanted, as soon as they took a turn that they didn't think they ought to take, As soon as anything, their circumstances became a little bit difficult, they turned against God and they began to grumble and dispute. And this, my friends, is the real seriousness of grumbling and disputing. You see, grumbling and disputing about things in our life ultimately is rebellion against God. It is ultimately questioning God, questioning God's love for you, questioning God's goodness and God's wisdom. And it is denying God's sovereignty to do whatever he pleases to do. Ultimately and at its essence, Grumbling and disputing are outward signs of an inner rebellion toward God. Grumbling and disputing questions God's character and is a rebellion against God's right to rule and to do as he pleases. So ultimately, all grumbling and all complaining, whether it is directed at people or at your problems, is really against God. We see this in Scripture, again, from the example of the children of Israel. In Exodus 16, when The children of Israel grumbled in the wilderness of sin because they became hungry. Moses and Aaron said to them, in verses six through eight, at evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we that you grumble against us? In Exodus 17, when Israel became thirsty and began to argue with Moses, and Moses struck that rock, in verse seven, we read, Moses called the name of that place Massa and Meribah because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord, saying, is the Lord among us or not? In number 16, Korah and his cohorts complained about their leaders. But Moses knew that they were really complaining against God. Moses said in verse 11 of number 16, he said to them, it is against the Lord that you and all your company have gathered together. What is Aaron that you grumble against him? And because of their mumbling and grumbling, over 14,000 people died. as judgment. Number 16, 32 and 33. This is what God thinks about grumbling and mumbling and arguing and complaining. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods. So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol and the earth closed over them and they perished from the midst of the assembly. And in Numbers chapter 21, when God sent serpents to chastise Israel for their grumbling, In verse seven, the people came to Moses and said, we have sinned for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord that he take away the serpents from us. You see, we must understand the seriousness of grumbling and disputing. It is remarkable that Paul attaches it here with this essential character and nature of the Christian life. He attaches it here with being blameless and innocent and without blemish in the midst of this world. He attaches it here to shining as lights in this world. It flows from his verses earlier in the chapter All the way back to chapter one, verse 27, when he says, let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ. If you were to let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, then do all things without grumbling or disputing. He certainly attaches it to what he had just said previously, to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. If you are to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, do all things without grumbling or disputing. This is the importance and the seriousness of this spirit of grumbling. Martin Lord Jones said, there is nothing that leads to such havoc in the Christian life. There is nothing that so ruins life as the spirit of murmuring and disputing. It ruined the whole story of the ancient people. It has ruined the Christian life and experience of many a Christian in this world. It makes you will at ease. You become despondent. You do not understand anything. You feel your lot is the only difficult one in the whole world. It leads not only to that, but to a poor testimony. It brings disgrace and disrepute upon the Christian name. This is why the apostle urges the Philippians to avoid it at all costs and consider that glaring illustration of the ancient children of Israel. John MacArthur sums up Paul's command here in verse 14, writing, that every circumstance of life is to be accepted willingly and joyfully without murmuring complaint or disappointment, much less resentment. There is no exception. It is always sinful for believers to complain about anything that the Lord calls them to do or about any circumstance which he sovereignly allows. Whether the task is difficult or easy, whether the situation involves a blessing or a trial, mumbling and grumbling and arguing, negative attitudes are forbidden. Do all things without grumbling and disputing. Now quickly, it is easy for a preacher to stand in the pulpit and tell you this. But it is another thing altogether to do it. How can we do that? How can we go on without murmuring and disputing? Well, let me just suggest some answers that we find in the Bible itself. And we must start here first. We must remind ourselves of the character of God. Because at its essence, grumbling and complaining is rebellion against God's character. God is holy and God is just. He is absolutely righteous. God does all things well. God makes no mistake. God neither tempts any man with evil, nor can he be tempted, says James. So whatever may be wrong, Of this we can be absolutely certain, and we must never question it. God is incapable of doing anything unkind or unfair. His character is absolute. Therefore, when you begin to feel like grumbling and murmuring and complaining against God, just remind yourself of the absolute character of his nature. Then as Paul emphasizes here, if you are a child of God, then God is your father. He is a father who loves you and he is concerned about you. When you were his enemy, he sent his son to the cruel death of the cross for you. It is God who initiated your salvation so that you must be forgiven and that you might be saved and that you might be redeemed. So whatever your position, whatever your situation, whatever your condition, and however little you can understand it, Remind yourself that the holy God is your father. Whatever may be happening to you, say to yourself, I am a child of God and God loves me and is concerned about me. He is specially interested in me and he is watching over me. Then also remind yourself of the greatness of God. and of your own smallness. And especially the smallness of our mind and of our understanding. Are we capable of understanding the mind of God? The answer is no. We have such little minds and God is infinite and absolute. We cannot understand the working of the mind of God. I may not understand what is happening to me. I may not even like it. But the fact that I cannot understand does not mean that God is wrong or unkind or cruel. You cannot measure your mind against the mind of God. Also, we should always remember that God's chief concern for you as his child is your sanctification. As Paul says, it is he that works in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. And as Paul says in 1 Thessalonians chapter four, in the will of God is our sanctification. God's concern about you and me is not just that we should always be happy. It's not that we should always be having a good time and that everything in life is going our way. But rather His will for you as His child is that one day you will be perfect, even as the Lord Jesus Christ is perfect. That you should attain unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. That is God's will for you. He is concerned about you. He is concerned about your soul. And he is going to bring your soul to a state of perfection when it will be one day blameless, spotless, and absolutely pure and holy. This is the will of God for you. This is what God wants for you. And this is what God is working out. All things work together for good to those who love God and those who are called according to his purpose. So if God is working all things together for good, then in all things, we should not grumble and mumble and murmur and complain. It is God that is doing it. And he is doing it for good. These are the things that we must remember. We must hold these close to our minds as children of God. He is holding onto you and he is going on working in you until you have arrived at that state for which he has destined you. And if you are convinced of this, you will not murmur and complain. But in the midst of your loss, in the midst of your heartbreak, in the midst of your difficulties, you will turn to God and say, I thank you even for this, because I now see your purpose. Spurgeon offered an antidote for grumbling and complaining. He said, if we complained less and praised more, we should be happier and God would be more glorified. Let us daily praise God for common mercies, common as we frequently call them and yet so priceless. He goes on to say, let us bless God for the eyes with which we behold the sun. Let us bless God for the health and the strength to walk abroad, for the bread that we eat, for the raiment we wear. Let us praise him that we are not cast out among the hopeless or confined amongst the guilty. Let us thank him for our liberty, for our friends, for family, and for comforts. Let us praise him, in fact, for everything which we receive from his bounteous hand, for we deserve none of it, and yet we are most plenteously endowed. But, he says, beloved, the sweetest and the loudest note in our songs of praise should be of redeeming love. God's redeeming acts toward his chosen are forever the favorite themes of their praise. If we know what redemption means, let us not withhold our sonnets of thanksgiving. We have been redeemed from the power of our corruptions, uplifted from the depth of sin in which we were naturally plunged. We have been led to the cross of Christ. Our shackles of guilt have been broken off. We are no longer slaves, but children of the living God and can look forward to when we shall be presented before the throne without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Even now by faith, we wave the palm branch and wrap ourselves about with the fair linen, which is to be our everlasting array. And shall we not unceasingly give thanks to the Lord, our Redeemer? Let us work out with fear and trembling, our own salvation. This includes doing all things without grumbling or disputing. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this text. Father, we thank you for your word. It is indeed the living word. Father, indeed, you sanctify your people by thy word. Father, forgive me for the sin of grumbling or complaining. Father, I pray that you will work within us this spirit of thanksgiving and of praise and of thanking you for all things. Father, may we always look to you, to your character, to your goodness, to your wisdom, to your sovereignty. May we always know that you love us, even when we can't figure anything out, even when our days are dark, When our path seems difficult, Father, may we look at you and say, thank you for this. Thank you, Father, for this. Father, I pray for your people today that you will work within us by your Holy Spirit that we would not do anything with grumbling or disputing. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen.