So today will actually end the first section of our study on the book of Philippians entitled The Ultimate Guide to Life & Love. You may be thinking, wait a minute, we are only in Philippians 2, and you are right…after Easter we will continue this study, in a new section that we are calling, “Choices.” That is going to be a lot of fun as Paul really challenges us on important choices we should be making in our lives as Christians. But today as we close down this first section of our study, Paul seems to switch gears on us a bit, and moves from some really deep thoughts on our faith, the attitude we must have, living like Christ lived with so many handles on how to experience a full life in Christ…and he seems to hit something that on the surface maybe doesn’t seem like such a big deal, until you stop, slow down, and really think through what he is saying, and when you do, you realize the things he is warning us about, actually show up a lot in Scripture and are a much bigger deal than we realize. Today we are going to talk about the importance of our words, more specifically the importance of using our words in a positive way…it’s a bigger deal than you may think.
Philippians 2:14 Do everything without complaining and arguing, 15 so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. NLT
Paul comes out of this massive section of Scripture, that is all about living as Jesus lived, trusting God in all things, and living out (or working out) our faith in humble obedience. And his very next thought to us is telling us not to complain or argue? So how does that hit you today? I think at first glance this can seem a little out of place until you start to recognize that The Bible talks about our words and how important they are a lot. So let’s start with Solomon talking about how powerful our words are…
Proverbs 18:21 Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit — you choose. MSG
So, we know Solomon was a pretty smart guy, and he says that our words are so powerful. He says that our words can take life from people when they are negative, critical…did you ever think that words could do this kind of damage? They can kill…but are also powerful enough to bring life. You know, you may not have thought about it all that much, but I bet you have experienced being on the wrong end of negative words that really took the life out of you. It’s interesting because so many of us complain. We complain about leaders or spouses, or life, but I don’t think we understand the ramifications of our words. Complaining and negative words make our lives harder. They make leading us much more challenging, and they hurt people. What is interesting and what I hope comes out through this talk today is we can want more from life and different areas of our lives and be making it harder on ourselves with our words too! We want leaders to lead but make it more painful for that person and then wondering why that person isn’t inspired to lead or walk-through life with us, and why they seem so down and lack so much joy and energy. We don’t see that our words have power. You could use your words to literally smother the passion and life from a leader or you could use your words to bring that same leader to greater heights of creativity and passion which helps your areas of life you are in. You can use your words to bring your workplace’s atmosphere to life, or you can use your words to put an absolute oppression on that place. You can do that at home, with your children’s youth sports teams, and even here at church too. You can use your words to build others up and set the spiritual atmosphere of this place to new heights…or you can put a weight in here that could smother the energy and passion right out of this building. Our words have power. Jesus talks about the importance of our words as well…
Matthew 12:33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” NIV
Jesus says that everyone of us will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word we have spoken. Yikes, am I right? When you hear that it can really make you think about the words that we speak and how much they matter can’t it? I think we have all had moments where we said things we wish we would not have said…and I think Jesus really taught us how so many hurtful or reckless things come out of someone’s mouth…and why that happens. Did you pick up on what He said in verse 34?
Matthew 12:34 “…For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”
So, Jesus says something so profound here, and it’s so true. Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. What does this mean? Well, it means if you want to know what is really going on in someone’s heart, just listen and they will tell you. We like to hide who we really are, but Jesus says who we really are comes out in how we speak. It’s amazing, if you listen to people, you will hear the truth. If they resent a spot someone is in, it will come out in the words that are spoken. If they want something they aren’t getting it will absolutely come out…maybe even in a funny, ha-ha joke but their true heart condition is revealed in the words they speak. Not happy with their spouse, their spouse will know it…not happy with a leader, oh the leader will know it or at least feel it. It may come out in jokes, and ha-ha moments…but out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.
So, Scripture is clear…our words have power. Our words can kill, and our words can bring life. Jesus says that out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks, so our words reveal who we are, and the condition of our hearts…you know that area that many of us think we are hiding. Jesus also says that our words are so important that we will be held accountable for every careless word we speak…so I’m thinking our words are a really big deal…and what did Paul ask of us today in our study?
Philippians 2:14 Do everything without complaining and arguing. NLT
You know, as I was preparing this message, I had this quote from a book that I really enjoyed kept coming to me and I wanted to share it. Now, I am about to read this quote, and I will warn you it can be a bit polarizing, but I want you to hear it, and think about this.
“There are basically two types of people in the world: complainers and worshipers. And there isn’t much circumstantial difference between the two. Complainers will always find something to complain about. Worshipers will always find something to praise God about. They simply have different default settings.” -Mark Batterson (In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day)
I want to ask you a question today, and it is a very important one. Which one are you? Are you a worshiper or are you a complainer? What is interesting is that I think some of us may not be able to answer that question about ourselves. Maybe you have never thought about it…but it is a very important question. What is kind of funny to think about is that whether you can answer that question for yourself or not, I am very confident that the people around you, you know, those that you do life with, they can answer that question for you. They know whether you are a worshiper or a complainer because they walk in either the joy or the weight of the worship or complaints coming from you. Your family, your co-workers, your friends…they know very clearly who you are by the words that come out of your mouth. If you want to know if you are a worshiper or a complainer simply listen to what you are saying. Now I know that complaining may not seem like that big of a deal…but it is and I believe Paul is showing us how much damage it can do to us personally and to those around us. Remember the power of our words. Remember our words are revealing who we really are to those around us. So, let’s get back into our study because I believe Paul is really hitting something important here today and we got a start with a question…
Why would Paul go from these incredibly profound thoughts on Jesus, and how to live our lives to this challenge not to complain?
Philippians 2:14 Do everything without complaining and arguing. NLT
The first thing we must understand is the power of our words. Our words can bring life, or they can take it away and the first area that complaining really does a lot of damage is to our personal lives and to our personal walk with God. I want you to think back to how Paul challenged us to live. He told us to have the attitude of Christ, to live in humble obedience…trusting God, living as Christ lived, obeying God. Remember the last two verses we studied?
Philippians 2:12 What I’m getting at, friends, is that you should simply keep on doing what you’ve done from the beginning. When I was living among you, you lived in responsive obedience. Now that I’m separated from you, keep it up. Better yet, redouble your efforts. Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. 13 That energy is God’s energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure. MSG
Remember there are two types of people in the world…complainers and worshipers. Can I ask you, do you associate energy, God’s energy in a complainer or a worshiper? We see the importance of obedience and surrendering our lives to God. Does a complainer do that or a worshiper? This is very important because The Bible tells us that this is the reality test on whether we love God…or not.
1 John 5:2 The reality test on whether or not we love God’s children is this: Do we love God? Do we keep his commands? 3 The proof that we love God comes when we keep his commandments, and they are not at all troublesome. MSG
Do you see the damage complaining does to you personally? Do you see the problem or contradiction a complainer has if they call themselves someone who loves God? Complaining does so much damage to us on a personal level directly…because it puts distance between us and our ability to surrender our lives to God and shows it…but also there is damage done to our personal lives indirectly. Complaining directly hurts us, it pulls our energy levels down, it also is us pulling away from God, and not following His commands putting a wedge in our relationship with God and others for that matter…remember our words are just exposing our hearts. But I want you to see the indirect effect of complaining and negative words. This may not be something you thought of…remember what Scripture told us about our words, they have power they can build into someone’s life, or they can kill. Our words also reveal how we truly feel and who we truly are in our hearts because out of the overflow of the hearts the mouth speaks…think this through. How do your words affect those around you on a personal level? I think the best way to show you this is just through some life examples.
Ladies, how many of you get frustrated that your husband won’t step up and lead the way you would like him to? Now think about your words for a moment. Do you complain a lot to him about what he isn’t doing? Do you cut him down publicly every change you get or are you using your words to build into him? If you are constantly complaining and cutting him down, you are making the situation worse…you are killing any energy or drive he may have to lead. Do you want him to lead and step up? Try using those powerful words of yours to build him up rather than tear him down and see how he responds.
How about at work? Are you frustrated with a leader or a boss at work? Are you wishing your work environment was more lively, positive, healthy, and productive? You see all the issues and realize it’s not the perfect work environment (there is no such thing by the way, but I digress) think about your words. It’s the same principle…what if all your complaining and tearing people down with your words is actually killing the environment you want to see improve and wish was better. What if Scripture is true and our words have this kind of power to bring life or take it…and we are killing the environments we would love to see improve.
Proverbs 18:21 Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit — you choose. (MSG)
Did you know this? That your words carry this much power? That you can take life from people and environments just by criticizing and complaining. You could use your words to literally smother out all the passion and life from a leader or you could use your words to bring that same leader to greater heights of creativity and passion which only helps you in the environments you are in. You can use your words to bring your home or your workplace’s atmosphere to life, or you can use your words to put an absolute oppression on that place. You can do that here at church too! You can use your words to build others up and set the spiritual atmosphere and tone of worship in this place of this place…or you can put a weight in here that could smother the energy and passion right out of this building. Your words matter. The words of a complainer bring death. The words of a worshiper bring life…and I want you to see something here today. When you are a complainer, it’s affecting you personally. It affects your relationship with God, and others. It also can be affecting your personal life indirectly, it can be frustrating you at home, and church, at work, and in any organizations you’re in because you want those environments to be better, you want those leaders to be inspired to lead, you want those atmospheres to be healthy and you can’t see that your words are part of the problem rather than the solution. Complainers poison the very environments they want to see as healthy. So let me ask you again, are you a worshiper or a complainer? Do you see it? You can be your own worst enemy here and not even see it? So, if you complain and ‘bag on’ your spouse all the time you aren’t part of the solution…work, church, out in the community…think about it, how are you using your words. Complaining does so much damage to your walk with God, and your personal life both directly and indirectly…and there is one more area that complaining causes a lot of damage and I think if we switch to the Message version here it’s very clear…
Philippians 2:14 Do everything readily and cheerfully — no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! 15 Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night MSG
So not only does complaining do damage to you personally, but did you pick up on what Paul is saying here? It also hurts your ability to share Jesus with others. It hurts your witness…which is a huge problem. We are to do everything cheerfully and readily so we can provide people with a glimpse of good living and a glimpse of God, carrying the light giving message of God into the dark places. Think about this, if I call myself a follower of Christ, that means I’m living out the very life Jesus modeled for me. Paul has explained the kind of life we are to live here in Philippians 2…and if we as Christians are complaining and arguing we are literally blocking people far from God from experiencing Him. It’s hurting our witness…because we know that who we are matters, and what are we learning about our words? Jesus told us they reveal who we really are. We saw that the reality test on whether we love God or not is to follow his commands and they aren’t troublesome right? So, if I’m complaining and bickering, am I showing that life of Christ, that attitude of humble obedience, that proof that I love God by obeying His commands? No, no I’m not.
There are many Christians in this world that aren’t helping people far from Christ find Christ…even while trying to tell people about Christ and I will tell you why. Their lives, their actions, and their choices aren’t matching what they are telling others about in their faith, and how they should be living, and because of that fact they actually become a blocker from people finding Christ, even while they may be trying to share Christ with people. Remember what Jesus said about what proves to the world that we are truly His followers?
John 13:35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” NLT
People will know we are followers of Christ by the love we have for one another. He didn’t say by the t-shirts we wear, or by where we spend our time on a Sunday morning, or by how good we are at telling people about Christ, but by how we are living our lives. Now let’s build out of that thought…because Paul has just spent a lot of time telling us to live as Jesus lived, a life of humble obedience and says that we should do everything without complaining or arguing. Why? Well, we know from Scripture that our ability to obey is revealing if we love God or not…
1 John 5:3 The proof that we love God comes when we keep his commandments, and they are not at all troublesome. MSG
We also know from Scripture that our words carry an enormous amount of weight, and also Jesus made sure we knew that our words are revealing who we really are, they are showing our true heart condition regardless of how many Christian t-shirts we have, or where we spend our time on Sunday mornings…so you can tell people about Christ, but in the end your actions, choices, and words…your life matters so much more and when you are a complainer you actually hurt your witness and ability to share Christ with those who need Him because what you model to the world matters most and if you remember here in Chapter 2 of this letter God has shown you that his goal is that each and every person on this planet would know Jesus as their Lord and Savior…remember that? God’s ultimate goal for us all…
Philippians 2:9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. NIV
If you think about it, if you are a complainer, you can’t really be walking in humble submission and calling Jesus the Lord of your life. If you are complaining and arguing your life is not showing others love for one another which we read in Scripture is how people know we are His disciples. If you are complaining it means that God’s commands are troublesome to you, and that is the reality test, the proof on whether or not we love God…if you are a complainer, it is blocking your witness and ability to help others experience Christ the way you may say you want people to experience Christ…because regardless of what you say, people are watching and feeling the way you live…and as we learned today, your words are revealing who you really are. Maybe that is why Jesus was so clear and strong on the magnitude of our words and how we will be held accountable for them.
Matthew 12:33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” NIV
So, as we close the Ultimate Guide to Life & Love portion of our big study of Philippians and we look ahead to Easter, which is such an incredible time to reflect on God’s great love for us, and Jesus’s amazing gift and sacrifice and victory for us…I would like you to think some things through today…
- Are you living a life of humble obedience? Are you able to trust God regardless of what you are walking through? Would you say that you are walking with the attitude of Christ?
- Are you a worshiper or are you a complainer?
- Do you use your words to bring life or to bring death to those around you?
- How do you feel about knowing that you will be held accountable for every careless word you spoke in your time on this Earth?
- What are your words revealing about your heart condition? Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks so what are you really saying to people?
- In what ways have your words impacted your relationship with God?
- In what ways have your words impacted people you are in relationship with?
- In what ways have your words impacted the environments you are in? At home? At work? At church? Maybe in your teams and community?
- Does your life reveal your relationship with God to people and help you show God to people or does your life hinder your ability to share Jesus with people?
- Who do you know, live with, care about that needs built up rather than torn down by your words today?
- Take a moment right now and ask yourself, are you a worshiper or a complainer? Your words matter.
Listen we love you so much, and we are so thankful to be walking through Scripture with you and doing life with you and we want you to see the importance of your life, your choices, your actions, and your words. It’s great that you come to church and call yourself a Christian, but we must remember that being a Christian is more than that, it’s a lifestyle. It’s living a life of love, humble obedience, serving, and building into others and we need to understand just how powerful our words are. Remember in the end there are basically two types of people in this world, worshipers, and complainers…and I know that we want to be those worshipers who build into others, who bring life. I wanted you to understand the power of our words and how complaining can affect our lives personally, and how our words and complaining can also block others from experiencing Christ.
Philippians 2:14 Do everything without complaining and arguing, 15 so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. NLT
We want to be that bright light in this world, and it happens through our lives, our actions, the love we have for one another, and how we choose to use our words, that are powerful enough to bring life or take it.