Divine Prohibition of the Sin of Murmurring

In this part of the sermon: Pastor Martin explains the elders' decision to depart from their usual exposition of Mark's Gospel to address a pressing issue within the congregation, found in 1 Corinthians 10…

The rotting carcasses of the wilderness generation under the Palestinian desert sun illustrate the consequence of hardness of heart, serving as a solemn warning for the current congregation.

Now let us once more seek the face of God, that this word which we as your elders are convinced in a unique sense is the word of God to us in this hour, may be a word which in the language of the previous hour we may not confront with hardness of heart, but today, today, if we hear his voice, we may be obedient to that word. Let us pray. Our Father, our hearts were made very solemn in the previous hour, as we thought of that entire wilderness generation, with their carcasses rotting under the burning sun of the Palestinian desert, because of hardness of heart. O God, we fear a hard heart. Ther...

3:41 - 5:07 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin provides an overview of 1 Corinthians 8-10, explaining how Paul's discussion of Christian liberty and self-denial leads to the warning against the sins of the wilderness…

Martin quotes Professor Martin's interpretation of Paul's statement 'I do all things for the gospel's sake' to mean partaking of its saving benefits, which requires strict bodily control, reinforcing the sermon's theme of self-restraint.

And so the doctrine of Christian liberty has been treated in chapter 8. Well then the apostle balances that doctrine in chapter 9 by underscoring from his own experience that as a Christian he is prepared first of all to relinquish lawfulness. He is prepared first of all to relinquish lawful liberties for the sake of the gospel, verses 1 to 22. And he also is prepared to restrain his own bodily appetites for the safety of his own soul, verses 23 to the end. And I heartily concur with the interpretation Professor Martin gave you in the previous hour. I had no knowledge he was going to touch upo...

6:49 - 8:09 Read in full sermon

Driving home: To murmur in the sense of this word in Holy Scripture, to quote one commentator, is to give audible expression to unwarranted dissatisfaction.

The parable from Matthew 20, where laborers murmured against the householder for equal wages, illustrates murmuring as speaking in a complaining and discontented manner about perceived unfairness.

If I'm told, don't murmur, stop murmuring, and continue to stop it, I must know what murmuring is. And now we're seeking to ascertain, not from lexicons, but from the Bible, the meaning of the word. In the 20th chapter of Matthew's Gospel, you have the parable of the householder who went out, and you remember he hired certain men early in the day, and they worked all day, and he hired some at the end of the day. And then it came time to give them their wages.

20:49 - 21:18 Read in full sermon

Driving home: To murmur in the sense of this word in Holy Scripture, to quote one commentator, is to give audible expression to unwarranted dissatisfaction.

The incident in Luke 5 where Pharisees murmured against Jesus' disciples for eating with publicans and sinners illustrates murmuring as a complaining, discontented, and sometimes secretive act.

The incident which in the parallel passage we studied a few weeks ago in Mark's Gospel, Jesus is in the house of Levi. He's in the house with the Palestinian mafia, the riffraff are around him, and the scribes and Pharisees see it, and what do they do? Notice now, verse 30 of Luke 5. And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do you eat and drink with publicans and sinners?

22:11 - 22:43 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray, 'Search me, O God, and know my heart,' to identify any murmuring.

The cloud in the wilderness is presented as a visible symbol of God's special presence, highlighting the privileged context in which Israel murmured.

It was a context of the manifested goodness, power, and love of God. 1 Corinthians chapter 10 begins with underscoring that fact. I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud. And what was the cloud?

25:39 - 26:00 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray, 'Search me, O God, and know my heart,' to identify any murmuring.

The crossing of the Red Sea, which delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage and became the grave of their enemies, illustrates God's manifested power and love, making their subsequent murmuring more heinous.

What does that tell us? They were delivered from Egyptian bonds. No longer could the taskmasters pack the whip over their backs and draw blood. They were through the sea, delivered from Egyptian bondage.

26:19 - 26:34 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray, 'Search me, O God, and know my heart,' to identify any murmuring.

Moses' 80 years of preparation and divine appointment as leader illustrate God's provision of competent leadership, against which the Israelites murmured.

They were incorporated unto the leadership of Moses. God didn't leave them to be a motley crowd of 600,000 adults. Simply to fight it out and to be leaderless, He prepared a man for 80 years that they might have a competent leader. What a privilege!

26:53 - 27:15 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The sermon delves into the leading characteristics of Israel's murmuring: it occurred in a context of God's manifested goodness, power, and love; its objects were God-appointed…

The manna and the spiritual rock are presented as types of Christ, symbolizing how God met both physical and spiritual needs, underscoring the context of God's abundant provision for the murmuring Israelites.

And furthermore it says, they did all eat the same spiritual food, the manna. And they drank the same spiritual drink they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. God met their every need, physically, and for those who had God's presence, God gave them eyes to see the manner in which their physical needs were met were symbolic of how their spiritual needs were to be met in Messiah. The bread of heaven, you remember John chapter 6, is the true significance of the manna.

27:36 - 28:09 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The sermon delves into the leading characteristics of Israel's murmuring: it occurred in a context of God's manifested goodness, power, and love; its objects were God-appointed…

God opening the earth to swallow Korah and his household alive illustrates the direct and undeniable divine judgment against those who murmured against God's appointed leaders.

The people of the Lord. Well, what could be further from the truth? Because it tells us that when this judgment of God fell upon these rebels, that God did something He had never done before. He opened up the earth.

31:20 - 31:38 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The sermon delves into the leading characteristics of Israel's murmuring: it occurred in a context of God's manifested goodness, power, and love; its objects were God-appointed…

The Israelites' longing for the 'fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic' of Egypt over the manna illustrates their murmuring against God-given provisions and their spirit of worldliness.

And the mixed multitude that was among them lusted exceedingly. Probably the very language you see Paul had in mind when he said, Do not lust after evil things as they did. And the children of Israel also wept again and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish which we did eat in Egypt for nothing.

32:52 - 33:13 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The sermon delves into the leading characteristics of Israel's murmuring: it occurred in a context of God's manifested goodness, power, and love; its objects were God-appointed…

The manna is described as a 'perpetual miracle' demonstrating God's constant love and provision, making the Israelites' grumbling against it a profound act of ingratitude.

They are murmuring against God's provisions for them as a nation. Here was this strange food from heaven that could be prepared in many different ways that was by the act of God's constant miraculous provision endowed with all the necessary nutrients to sustain life in that wilderness journey. It was the perpetual miracle saying to them from heaven, My heart is open to you. My heart is moved to you in love and concern and compassion.

33:45 - 34:19 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The sermon delves into the leading characteristics of Israel's murmuring: it occurred in a context of God's manifested goodness, power, and love; its objects were God-appointed…

The Israelites' repeated complaints ('You brought us out to kill us') when facing crises illustrate their forgetfulness of past mercies and unbelief in God's present care.

And rather than think back to what God had done in the past and reason from the past to the present, they acted as though God were dead. And they said, You brought us out to kill us, the Egyptians behind us, walls of mountains either side, Red Sea in front of us. We've had it. And then they get to a situation with no water.

36:03 - 36:22 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And all chafing at that appointment was a fist clenched in the face of Jehovah. And that's why the fire of his anger came and burned up the whole multitude.

Moses' call at the burning bush and Aaron's appointment as his mouthpiece illustrate that their leadership was divinely ordained, making rebellion against them a direct affront to God.

When my servant Moses was in the backside of a desert and I appeared to him in a burning bush, I, Jehovah God, prepared him and appointed him leader in Israel. He did not one day get drunk with the heady wine of a notion that he'd like to be leader of this motley crowd. Any man in his right mind would never have wanted that. And he was appointed by God.

37:46 - 38:13 Read in full sermon

The point: Realize that murmuring is not against human leaders but against God Himself.

Examples of individuals transformed from 'pot-smoking hippie,' 'lecherous, unclean, filthy adulterer,' or 'proud, self-righteous Pharisee' illustrate God's goodness and grace, making their murmuring particularly heinous.

A pot-smoking hippie. A lecherous, unclean, filthy adulterer. A proud, self-righteous Pharisee. And God in grace reached down, gave you a new heart, and washed you in the blood of your Son, and clothed you in His righteousness.

42:43 - 43:11 Read in full sermon

The point: Realize that murmuring is not against human leaders but against God Himself.

The church's commitment to fervent, fresh prayer and worship focused on God, rather than rote phrases or entertainment, highlights the spiritual privileges against which murmuring is directed.

And then what did He do? Did He put you in a church where the prayers, you could predict every prayer because the pastors and elders were not praying in secret and therefore there was no freshness in their prayers? Where there was just the mouthing and the mumbling of rote phrases? No!

43:11 - 43:31 Read in full sermon

The point: Cease murmuring against God-appointed leaders, recognizing their divine appointment and the lack of personal ambition.

The construction of the church building, despite computer readouts proving it impossible, illustrates God's miraculous providence, making murmuring against financial burdens or leadership decisions an act of unbelief.

It was proven in a computer readout that we still have in our church records. A computer readout proved we could not build this church. It's built and paid for. The computer readout says you can't build phase two.

47:32 - 47:49 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not murmur against God-given provisions, including the preaching of His Word and the nature of prayer meetings.

Martin's personal experience of hearing 'pure, accurate opening up of the Bible' in Sunday school and seeing wandering eyes illustrates the congregation's potential 'disgust with manna' (Biblical preaching) and desire for 'pizazz.'

Turn to the context. The meaning of words. I tell you I could weep when I sit as I sat this morning at the back of the congregation in the Sunday school hour and heard as I hear every week some of the most pure, accurate opening up of the Bible I've ever heard. And I don't say that to butter up Professor Martin.

48:32 - 48:58 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not murmur against God-given provisions, including the preaching of His Word and the nature of prayer meetings.

The metaphor of 'leeks and onions and garlic' (worldly desires) versus 'manna' (Biblical preaching) illustrates the choice between worldly attractions and God's ordained spiritual provision.

Giving the meaning of words. We want something a little more pizazz in it. Oh my friend, if you want leeks and onions and garlic, this place is not going to become Egypt. For you or no one else.

49:30 - 49:43 Read in full sermon

The point: Remember past mercies and your former spiritual state to combat forgetfulness and prevent murmuring.

The imagery from Ezekiel 16 of Israel as an 'unwashed baby wallowing in its blood' illustrates the congregation's past spiritual state before God's grace, intended to combat forgetfulness of mercies and prevent murmuring.

You've forgotten past mercies. You need to read Ezekiel 16, my friend. God says, what were you, Israel, when I found you? You were like a baby just born, unwashed and wallowing in its blood.

51:06 - 51:20 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine your heart for worldliness and attachment to sin (idolatry, uncleanness, fornication) as roots of murmuring.

Martin's anecdote about receiving calls from churches shattered by leaders' immorality highlights the grace of God in preserving Trinity Baptist Church from such scandal, making murmuring against its intolerance for uncleanness particularly ungrateful.

Because this is a place where we don't tolerate uncleanness. You've never had to be shamed that any one of your leaders over all these years has ever been publicly scandalized. And publicly scandalized by immorality. I get calls every month from pastors and churches and people saying, Pastor Martin can you help us?

56:00 - 56:18 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin directly applies the characteristics of murmuring to the congregation, asserting its presence among some members. He challenges them to recognize their murmuring in the…

The metaphor of a 'subtle subterranean umbilical cord that still ties you to Egypt' illustrates the deep-seated worldliness and attachment to sin that fuels murmuring.

It's that hankering for Egypt. It's that attachment. That subtle subterranean umbilical cord that still ties you to Egypt. That's what's pumping you.

57:00 - 57:11 Read in full sermon

The point: Be prepared to publicly confess your murmuring if you cannot identify all those you influenced.

The story of Nathan confronting David illustrates Martin's role as a 'friend' who, by hurling an accusing word into the conscience, seeks the good of the hearer, even if it causes pain.

It is the honor of my blessed Savior and the good of His precious people in this place that has caused me to go after your conscience. I'm your friend. When Nathan came to David and hurled into his conscience the accusing word, he was the best friend David had on the face of the earth. And my dear member of Trinity Church, I'm your friend in coming after your conscience this morning.

65:58 - 66:27 Read in full sermon

The point: Go to the cross before God's judgment falls upon you, allowing Christ's blood to wash away your sins.

The metaphor of 'drowning your sins in the blood of Jesus' or 'floating them to the cross in your own tears of penitence' illustrates the path to forgiveness and cleansing from sin.

For cleansing, for pardon, for the grace to desist from this horrible sin of murmuring. Neither murmured ye, as some of them murmured and were destroyed by the destroyer. I fear to let you go, but I must, because alas, I know the human heart too well. And some of you, I fear, will calculate your activities this afternoon, try to drown your conscience, rather than go to the cross and drown your sins in the blood of Jesus.

68:05 - 68:49 Read in full sermon