C: After Israel was saved from Egypt, instead of being grateful, they grumbled, and God was upset. There are 5 keys to avoiding grumbling.

1. Hear the Word of God.

Exodus 15:22-27
22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water.
23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.)
24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?"
25 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them.
26 He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you."
27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.

Q: What was the problem here? [The water was too bitter to drink.]

C: The people had a problem, and instead of trying to solve it, they complained. Moses had the right reaction: he cried out to God (v.25), and God solved the problem.

And in v.26, God reminded them to "listen carefully to the voice of the Lord." In the Bible, God gives us clear instructions. Most of the problems that we grumble about could have been avoided if we had just obeyed the Bible.

2. Avoid Loving the Past

Exodus 16:1-3
1 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt.
2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
3 The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death."

Q: The people were hungry. So what did they wish for? [They wished they had died in Egypt. They remembered the pots of meat they used to eat.]

C: Sometimes our memory of the past gets distorted.

Q: What else might these people have remembered about their time in Egypt?
- Pharaoh killing their firstborn.
- Living as slaves.
- Making bricks without straw.
- Having no money and no rights in a foreign country.
- Not being allowed to practise their faith.

C: Even for us as disciples, when something goes wrong, we start to think, "It wasn't so bad when I wasn't a Christian." But this thought is from the devil. Be happy with your present situation, and don't look at the past too lovingly, or you'll start to grumble.

3. Pray to the Lord

Exodus 17:1-7
1 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.
2 So they quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses replied, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?"
3 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?"
4 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, "What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me."
5 The LORD answered Moses, "Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.
6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink." So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.
7 And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?"

C: Again the Israelites had no water to drink, and they quarreled with Moses. They again asked him, "why did you bring us here to make us die of thirst?" They weren't grateful for all the times God had already helped them.

And just as in Exodus 15, we see in verse 4 that Moses prayed, and God gave Moses the answer. The people were doubting that God was among them (v.7). But when we pray, we can know that God is with us. The next time some little problem is getting you down, pray about it, and God will make it right.

4. Positive About God's Blessings

Numbers 21:4-9
4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way;
5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!"
6 Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.
7 The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people.
8 The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live."
9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.

Q: What did the people complain about here? ["We are bored with this food."]

C: When a person has nothing, he is grateful for a chapati. But if he gets chapatis every day, he starts complaining.

The people were impatient (v.4). They did not appreciate the blessings of God. So God allowed snakes to go among them, and they realised their sin (v.7).

C: God has given us so many blessings. The next time something bad happens, don't worry about the little problem. Instead, focus on the good thing.

C: We must also do this in our relationships. If we focus on the negative things, then we'll always drag each other down in our marriages, our flats, and our discipling relationships. But if we are excited about the good in others, we'll lift them up and help them to be their best for God.

5. You Don't Listen to Complainers

Numbers 11:4-6
4 The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, "If only we had meat to eat!
5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost--also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.
6 But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!"

Q: Who wanted food other than the manna (v.4)? [The rabble. This means the useless fellows.]

Q: Have you ever eaten the same food every day for a long time?

C: In any situation, there will always be people who complain. If we listen to them, we also will start seeing the bad side of things, and we will complain.

Q: Have you ever known someone who was always complaining?

Numbers 11:10
Moses heard the people of every family wailing, each at the entrance to his tent. The LORD became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled.

C: Soon all the people were wailing and moaning, and God was upset. Look at what happened to Moses:

Numbers 11:14-15
14 I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.
15 If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now--if I have found favor in your eyes--and do not let me face my own ruin."

C: Moses also got discouraged because of all the complainers. He said to God, "I can't handle this burden alone." Sometimes we as leaders get depressed because we are always dealing with people's problems and complaints. We get overwhelmed and down. We must make sure that we don't let other people's complaints make us discouraged.

Numbers 11:24-30
24 So Moses went out and told the people what the LORD had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the Tent.
25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took of the Spirit that was on him and put the Spirit on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not do so again.
26 However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the Tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp.
27 A young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp."
28 Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses' aide since youth, spoke up and said, "Moses, my lord, stop them!"
29 But Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!"
30 Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

C: In response to Moses' burden, God allowed all the elders of Israel to prophesy and have the Spirit of God (v.25). Two other elders didn't come to the meeting, but they also prophesied. Joshua complained about this to Moses (v.28). But Moses was excited! He was so glad these men were fired up (v.29).

C: Sometimes the ministry can become negative. Everyone starts being faithless and down, and we drag each other down. Even in this group, this can happen. So let's focus on the positive things, and let's not listen to complainers. {

Conclusion

Grumbling has always been a sin. God has done so much for us, but it is tempting to complain and be ungrateful, just like the Israelites. The good news is that we can change. If we remember the 5 points today, which spell "HAPPY", then we'll learn to be grateful to God.