Alright, good morning. Come on in. Sign your seats. Welcome back. How was the trip? Great. Okay, so we're back at it again. Mr. Burrows is still taking photos in the dark, as you can see. But we're on to actually what is chapter 8 in the long version. I think it's somewhere in the middle of 5 of the abridged version that Ryan sent out. But today we're going to be talking about the evils of a murmuring spirit. And as we get into this you can probably already make the connection between discontentment and murmuring. We'll dive in fully and you'll be immersed. So we're asking the question, why or how is it that murmuring is so evil? And you didn't smell Ann cooking in the kitchen this morning as you walked in, so I thought I'd give you a meal. We're going to go through, as the appetizer, Mr. Burrow's comments on murmuring. Then we're going to savor that for a little bit and then chew on it while we think about a couple of case studies from God's Word, and then the treat at the end will be applying it to our own lives. So here's how he organizes it. As you can see, he's continuing to chew on this idea of contentment, discontentment, and now he's to murmuring. He realizes, as it's a pretty easy connection there, that murmuring is what happens when you are not content, and yet you try to figure stuff out there. So he's talking about murmuring in chapters 8 and 9. He'll go on to say that some murmuring is more evil than others in chapter 10, and he'll wipe out our excuses here in chapter 11. As we've said all throughout this study, it's kind of hard to see a clear, logical, or step-by-step progression because the concepts are so intermixed here. But we're going to focus today On this first one, murmuring is the great evil that is in a discontented heart. So, in Puritan form, let's try that again so it does it the right way. In pure Puritan form here, he just starts listing out reasons why murmuring is the great evil in a discontented heart here. The first one there, murmuring and discontentedness of yours reveals much corruption of the soul. Now I think he hits it out of the park right here at the very beginning and he gets down to it. And one of the best quotes I found there is on the left, if a man's body is of such a temper that every scratch of a pin makes his flesh to rankle and be a sore, you would surely say a man's body is very corrupt. And likewise, if every trial, minor or otherwise, every issue in life causes murmuring, There's something down deep in there that is what the murmuring is revealing, not necessarily that murmuring is the problem. In other words, it's not just stopping murmuring, it's figuring out why it is that we want to complain, why it is that we want to express our discontentment. He goes on to say, the evil of murmuring is such that when God would speak of wicked men and describe them and show the brand of wicked and ungodly man or woman, he instances this sin, murmuring, in a more special manner. As well as being made a brand of ungodly men, you will find in scripture that God accounts it as rebellion. Again, I think this one is right at the core. Murmuring is ultimately rebellion in most cases. He says, murmuring is but as the smoke of the fire. There is first smoke and smoldering before a flame breaks forth, and so before open rebellion and a kingdom, there is first a smoke of murmuring, and then it breaks forth into open rebellion. Now he spends a lot more time on these last two, and so we will spend just a little bit more time on these two. And he breaks them down into sub, sub, sub, sub sections as he does. On this first one here, it is a wickedness which is greatly contrary to grace and especially contrary to the work of God in bringing the soul home to himself. And I added, if you remember what God has done, there will be no space nor time for murmuring. I guess he actually said the last part of that sentence. So here's what he means. Murmuring is contrary to God's work in showing a sinner his sin. As God saves us, the first step is showing us our sin, or at least one of the first steps. As we understand our depravity, what we think we deserve comes into a new perspective. Murmuring is contrary to God's work in giving us inheritance with Christ. In a similar fashion, as we come to understand what we have been given as an inheritance in Christ and with Christ. What we want, other than that, becomes smaller and smaller. Murmuring is contrary to God's work in changing our affections. The middle two there are kind of similar. Changing our affections, we understand now that when we don't get what we want, maybe it's our affections that are the problem. Murmuring is contrary to God's work in submitting our souls to Christ as King. When we meet a conflict, instead of murmuring, we submit. These are things that God does to our heart as He brings us to Him. And then finally, murmuring is contrary to God's work in changing the nature of our own sense of purpose. We've been talking about that in the study as well. As we see clearly what it is that we're doing here, the things that we murmur about typically don't fall into line with those purposes and so we can overcome that discontentment by remembering our purpose. So he explains that for a while and it's very dense and very rich and very good as you know if you've been reading this. And then he moves to his final point. Murmuring and discontentment is exceedingly below a Christian. It's below the relation of a Christian, the relation of a Christian to God as the son of a king. I thought this one was particularly beautiful as well. It's not only that God is the king of his creation, but he is a completely sovereign king. And it's not only that he's a completely sovereign king, but he's given you the privilege of being a subject of that kingdom. And it's not only that he's given you the privilege of being a subject of that kingdom, he's given you the privilege of being a son of him in that kingdom. And as we understand that relationship we have to God as a son of the king, grumbling about the things in the kingdom become more and more foolish and easy to see. Murmuring is below the relations of a Christian to Christ as his bride. Of course, we know the picture of Christ being the bridegroom and his church being the bride. And of course, Christ has done everything to purify his bride and bring her home in the consummation of the kingdom. Murmuring is below the relation of a Christian to Christ as his body. to angels who are for a little while above us but they minister to us, and to saints as co-heirs. Murmuring is below the relation of a Christian to Christ as his younger brother, below the relation of a Christian to the Spirit as the Spirit's temple, and below the contentment that Christ has given other followers. And he points to, we see examples of our brothers and sisters in Christ before us who have exhibited great deal of contentment and mean circumstances, and so it's below us to think that we should not strive to do the same. All of that I kind of grouped into two categories so that I could try to remember them. Remember what God has done in Christ through the Spirit, and remember who you are in Christ through the Spirit. So before we finish up the appetizer and move on to the main course, I want this to be the question we have on our palate here. Is murmuring, forgetting what God has done and who we are, or is murmuring rebelling against God the Father, Christ the King, and the Spirit who teaches? Is it really forgetting or is it underlying rebellion? Sorry, that picture's a little dark there. Those are the Israelites in the desert. Apparently they didn't have a whole lot of light when the picture was taken. Okay. First case study, Adam and Eve, Genesis chapter 3. Now, you'll notice, if you think about this, that there's actually no murmuring in this account, but I think you'll be able to make the connection here. As I read it, and I'm sure you're familiar with it, but as I read it to you again, keep these questions in mind. especially down there at the bottom, which I think is the diagnostic question as we consider these things. So Genesis chapter 3, starting in verse 1. Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, did God actually say you shall not eat of any tree in the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said you shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither should you touch it lest you die. But the serpent said to the woman, you will not surely die, for God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. So the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired in making one wise. And she took of its fruit and ate. And she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate." So did Adam and Eve forget that God had made them? Forget what he had done for them, placing them in a perfect garden? and giving them everything that they needed? Did they forget His commands to do and not to do? Or is this rebellion? Let's move on to another case study. Israel wants a king. 1 Samuel chapter 8. Once again, as I read this to you, if you don't know exactly where I'm going, it'll sound familiar when I start. reading it, but again the questions are the same, especially the diagnostic question there at the bottom. So this is after Joshua had conquered the land, or at least to the extent that he did, and after a period of almost 400 years of judges, Samuel is what some would call the last judge of the period of the judges, and now Israel is demanding a king from Samuel. It says, when Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn was Joel, the name of his second, Abijah, and they were judges in Beersheba. Yet his sons did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice. Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, behold, you're old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, obey the voice of the people in all they say to you. For they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me, serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now then, obey their voice. Only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them. So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. He said, these will be the ways of this king who will reign over you. He'll take your sons, he'll appoint them to his chariots, to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. He'll appoint them for himself as commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He'll take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He'll take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He'll take a tenth of your grain and of your vineyards he'll give it to his officers and his servants. He'll take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys and put them to his work. He'll take the tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves. And in that day, you'll cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves. But the Lord will not answer you in that day. But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel, and they said, no, murmuring. No, but there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight. our battles. And when Samuel heard the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, obey their voice and make them a king. And Samuel said to the men of Israel, go, every man, to his city." Now one of the interesting things, maybe a little bit of a sidetrack here, is if I know you all have Deuteronomy memorized. So Deuteronomy, think through Deuteronomy 17. The Lord actually foretold that this would be or would happen. And he said, here are the rules for when you ask for your king in the land. And especially when the people say, no. But there shall be a king over us. Now listen to why. And listen to whether it sounds like they're forgetting or rebelling. I'll give you the answer is probably both. They say, we want to be also like all the nations. And our king will judge us and go before us and fight our battles. What had the Lord been doing ever since he took them out of Egypt? He had been providing rules by which to judge. He had been going ahead of them in their battles. And now they're saying, we don't want you, Lord. We want our king. And I don't know about you. I'll just speak for myself at this point. But ultimately, my murmuring is when I get down to, who's going to be the king. And it's not just I would prefer to be the king, or it would be helpful if I were the king in this situation, but it's ultimately an accusation that the real king is doing it wrong. And I think this is exactly what's happening here to Israel. Not only did they forget who God had made them, he had called them as his covenant people, and he had brought them out of Egypt, but they were rebelling because they wanted a king, not really to do something necessarily different than God, but one that would do what they wanted to do. I guess I kind of jumped ahead there. Here's our third case study. Let's be introspective for a moment, and I'll just reiterate these questions. When we murmur, do we forget that God has made us his people? Do we forget what he has done in order to make that just and right? Or do we rebel against our judge, our king, and our father? And again, the diagnostic. What happens when our will butts up or runs into Christ's will, Christ's rule? So all of that is what Mr. Burroughs was trying to do with chapter eight. which was to prove to you how evil murmuring is. I didn't really think you needed a whole lot of convincing, but certainly after that run through there, we are more convinced than ever. I am kind of moving quickly, so we'll try to slow down and maybe ponder this, or we'll have a lot of time for questions here. But now we're on to the dessert. Does anybody remember this guy? Does anybody remember the point of this guy? What's that? Okay, yeah, he is fast. Right, he's built for a purpose and when he is fulfilling his purpose, the distinction between duty and joy or contentment are erased, and I think that picture captures that pretty well. Here's how I summed it up, but Nick said it, said at least what I'm thinking in principle. Because God created us for a purpose, contentment and joy are not at odds with duty. What God wants in our purest contentment are not in a battle. I think here's the takeaway for today. Murmuring is similar in that when we grumble, We assume that God's will and our happiness are at odds. Somehow, someway, we think that God's rule is less desirable, ultimately, for us than our own God is holding out on us. That's what I see when I recall the situation Adam and Eve were in. They had everything. Satan introduced this thing that they didn't have that they thought, you know what? He's right. There's something more that God's keeping for himself that he isn't giving to us. And ultimately, if we had that, we would be even more content or more happy, more satisfied than we are right now. And they're a little bit special because they were not under the curse at the moment when they made that disobedient choice, but the same process holds true. Our flesh, the world, and Satan still works against us to give us a picture of a reality that is more desirable than the reality that we currently live in as children of God. And he says that God is holding out on us. There's something more out there for your contentment. So as we put this onto our own hearts here, again, I put these all as I's. I don't want to accuse you, but I'm sure at least to some level you can sympathize with me here. When I say that's not fair, am I just forgetting that God is just, or am I really saying that I want to be the judge, or God's not being a good judge? When I say I deserve this, Am I really forgetting God's promises of what I deserve and what I don't deserve? Or am I really saying that God has withheld some promise from me, God has lied to me? When I say I need this, am I forgetting that God is a loving Father? Or am I just saying that I want to be in charge? And like I already pointed out, this one should have my name on it on the bottom. It would be better if Am I really just forgetting that God is sovereign and completely in control of his kingdom? Or am I ultimately saying that he's doing it wrong? So here are a couple pictures to try to cement this in our mind here. What we want and what God wants collide. Now, those slashes there on the right, let's think about those just for a moment. We've made the case a couple of times, maybe not directly, so far in this study. What God wants is the things that we have. If God wanted us to have something different, then we would indeed have those things. That's sovereignty. What God wants is where we are, our circumstances. If God wanted other circumstances, then we would have other circumstances. So we don't want to forget that the connection between the stuff I have, the circumstances I'm in, this is what God wants. There is no rabbit trail to God's purpose. Everything is within God's ultimate purpose. So when what we want collides with those, we got a few choices. We can continue down the path of thinking that what we want is more important than what God wants. This can result in outright disobedience. In the case of Adam and Eve, they didn't stop really long enough to murmur about it, right? They just went after what they wanted. And so they kind of skipped the murmuring step. But if we hold off for a moment on just taking what we want, frequently it ends up in murmuring. Now if God's want, God's desire, God's will, supersedes what we want and it gets the upper hand, that might seem like contentment. But the question mark should clue you in here to note that that's a trick question. Now I could not find cars that weren't wrecked. But ultimately when they collide, the correct answer is to turn what we want around so that it lines up with what God wants, what God has given us, and what circumstances God has placed us in. And this is the road to contentment. I guess it is kind of part of the analogy that the car, at least our car, is still beat up at the end, because that's just kind of what God does to us. He beats us into shape. I'm not so sure his car gets beat up. I was hoping Dr. Segura would be here for this final point here, but can anybody take a stab at why I would say pain is a good thing, especially as it relates to murmuring? Right, right. So, because we feel pain, we know that there's something deeper. The pain isn't exactly the problem itself. It's a symptom of the problem. I think in the same way here, when we murmur, when we see that symptom, maybe I should put it this way, when your wife sees that symptom, or when your spouse sees that symptom, I know in my case my wife notices that I'm murmuring way before I do, but that murmuring, that symptom, is cause to go find the solution, go fix the problem. And the problem is that our will is not lined up with God's will. And we have forgotten, perhaps, some things about who God is, what he has done, and what is our relationship to him. So I just put down the questions we've addressed here, and this is just a list of some of the things to ask when I murmur. And here again, I think you've figured it out by now. It's not really forgetting or rebellion. The two are very intertwined here. Rebelling is just acting as if you've forgotten. But certainly, raise your hand if you think there's going to be a time where you'll forget that God is just. You're going to forget that. You've made the connection already. You're not really going to forget it, right? If I ever walk up to you and I say, is God just? Are you ever going to answer, no, I'm not sure? Of course not. But of course, we act, right? This is why they're so intertwined, the rebellion and the forgetting. So these questions remind us. And turn that car around so that there's no crash, but they're ultimately going both in the same direction. Is God just? Yes, he certainly is. Is God sovereign? Yes, He certainly is. What has God promised me? This one typically is at the heart of my memory anyway. I think God has promised me something that indeed He has not. Or I think that He's holding out on some promise that He has indeed given. For what purpose did God save me? For what purpose did He give me a new heart and change my desires? For what purpose did He give Christ justice? On my behalf, for what purpose has he promised me an inheritance? And for what purpose has he adopted me as a son of the king? Do I trust him? Who is in charge here? So, I probably should have left that one up there so you could chew on that a little bit. Before we go to questions or comments here, let me just read Ephesians 1, which says this gloriously, starting in verse 3 here. Paul says to the Ephesians, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace with which He has blessed us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight, making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven, and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will. so that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory. I did not think I was going to go that path. Now that we have plenty of time for questions or comments. Jimmy. If this contentment is not a sin, if that has actually nothing to do with anything about it, why is he going to be preaching, I guess, on AMI 3? And the remnant that was there was content to have the wall just stay like it was, destroyed, and Eli comes on the scene, and hits them going. I think you probably, You've been a Christian long enough. We know in our own hearts when we're disconnected, there's a sin. But there are some times when the faith can stand in sickness. When you're connected, just let the world fall apart around you. Does that make sense to you? Right. So what I'm saying is that disconnected, and sometimes God can use that to spur us on. I'm just really asking, I'm just seeing, in my own life, sometimes I'm too content with just the way things are. I'm just thinking, it's the light, the remnant that was back in the middle of the wall. It wasn't for Nehemiah. God didn't raise up Nehemiah. Who knows? They were content. When you see people, they're fine with their life just being content. Does that make sense? I think so. It sounds like Persis has an answer for you. Okay, I finally, in my mind, thought, this is after the discovering of working devices, and maybe as a consequence, the sense that things aren't right, or they must be, as soon as it's talked about, but we come to a place where we realize, this is it, there is nothing I can do differently, this is my situation, therefore, I'm going to keep using the term working device. And when we're at that place where we know that we can do it, we can go to college early, we can get back to when we're going to be able to do it, we're not wrong. I think the people who are tortured and imprisoned for their faith are not able to see their families for the rest of their lives. And they wrote me that period of trauma and pain, and thought it was so horrible, and it was so difficult, So, Jimmy, is the question, is there such a thing as holy discontentment? That's a good way to rephrase your question. OK. Well, yeah. OK. Yeah, we're not happy for the circumstances because the cars still aren't going in the same direction. Nearly a century earlier, if I'm doing my math right in public, Jeremiah said, you're saying peace, peace, when there is no peace. The leaders were in Israel saying, we're fine here. Everything's OK. There's peace. Jeremiah, why are you being a stick in the mud here? There's peace. We got peace, and Jeremiah's saying no. So earlier, Mr. Burroughs here said, I'll just read you the title, because I couldn't find it actually in the text. He says, the mystery of contentment, chapter two, a Christian is content, yet unsatisfied. And it's funny, Steve brought this up Thursday at our small group. Burroughs uses the, the term capable of God frequently. And that's just kind of a phrase, not the way we would say that understanding God has been brought to God. The Lord has given him a new heart with new desires to see that God's purposes are beautiful and true and good and above worldly purposes. This is the kind of thing that Burroughs is saying when he says, when a soul is made capable of God. And he says earlier on, when God makes us capable of Him, of seeing what His plan is in truth, then there is this sense where a Christian is going to be the most content person in the world because he doesn't need anything superfluous. But then there's also this lingering discontentment because he knows where we're headed, to the inheritance, to the perfect kingdom. Knowing that it's out there and not being able to have it is that holy discontentment. And so yes, the answer is yes. Just as we would say there's such a thing as righteous anger, right? We know anger is righteous when we can say that God would be angry about it as well. And if the situation warrants that we are discontent like God is discontent with it, then We can call that discontentment that is holy, I think. Yes, sir? We had meetings before he died a couple of times. Yes, sir. I really encourage you to consider reading the book. One of the aspects that caused me to pause in many things was when you said, here is a great view of falling, extreme falling, in a discontented heart. It takes away the present comfort of what you have. God has made provision, it's emerging, it's been evident, but I'm not satisfied, therefore, I seek for a different solution or a different level of comfort or a different manifestation of that comfort, and I miss the opportunity to do that. I was just going to say, I think one of the things we're going to constantly talk about is the need to work with a lady related to the time period in which she lives and the time period in which we live. And it's the difference between disintentment and freedom. And so, I mean, I think we as a church would love to hear you say, it's not wrong for us to be sad that Robin Johnson attacked Cameron. And I love what you said. It actually reveals to us something about our world. Everything's not what it's supposed to be. You were a guy, and that's a sign of the curse. And what's wrong is not that one of them sinned and God took them, but rather, The curse is still upon this world. And so I think as we navigate the scriptures, and your questions honestly, brother, were excellent. I think as we navigate the scriptures, we have to balance the lament piece with the discontent piece. Joe can cry out in sadness as he buries his 10 kids, and yet still say, God is good. And that's the balance. That's the tightrope that we need. And I think you'd be well-suited to some of these questions sometimes, because it's not wrong to be sad when a child has a disease or people die or people leave. But it could be sensible, and we do it every 10%, it could be sensible if we start to go down the road of the implications of the question that you put up there. But it's just a thought. When we study this contentment, we're always going to be that way. But it's not wrong to be sad, necessarily. It's not wrong to grieve. And we look at the scripture, and there are times where it's right to lament. But yet in our lament, we want to make sure that our hearts are really not murmuring to God, crying out to God. In faith, Lord, we're looking to you for service. Right. And oh, yeah, I can wait. I can say all this stuff later. Go ahead. Sure. I think a lot of this comes down to the fact that at the end of the day, we need to think about what we can say to people. And I think the question is about trust. We can talk, we can really read what people otherwise think, and so even if it's troubling, we need to think about it. People say, I am having trouble, and that's fine, but at the same time, say, I've seen you do it, and we don't really want that. Yeah, and that's another way that I thought to categorize it. When I murmur, I'm usually saying either God can't do this right, this thing that I think is right, or that he won't do this thing? And those are some pretty good questions to start down the trail as well, because then you start getting to, well, what has God said that he will do and won't do, and what do I know God can do and can't do, that sort of thing. And that helps us get to the bottom as well. I was also going to, I mean, We're at the end, closer to the end now. And as we get down to the bottom to see where our will lines up or does not line up with God's will, of course, all of our sin is down there. All of our desires that don't match holy, godly desires are down at the whose will shall win. But the ones that frequently come up in this conversation to me are patience, when we say, yeah, I know what God wants and I want that too, but I want it now. Justice is a good example. This is the turn the other cheek proverbial statement that Jesus made. Justice is not ours. Vengeance is not ours. Vengeance and justice rightly will happen. We will not get through this eternity without justice being full and complete and satisfied. We just aren't the purveyors of it, and we just don't have it at every moment right now. But it will be done. And so patience frequently pops up. And then the other thing that we've talked about, and I'll end with this, is stewardship. And I think this is how I would, as best I can, add on to what Ryan just said. Yeah, those times of grief, those times of real lament and sadness, we can just say, this isn't the way it ought to be and God should have made it otherwise right now. And that would be a sinful handling of a situation that is rightly lamentable. But if we see it as a stewardship, not only a lack of stuff, kind of stewardship or a stewardship of circumstances. When we see those things, our place and our things in life as a stewardship, that turns the focus to, I understand this is not how it ought to be and I can rightly lament, but now I'm asking what is it, what is it that I can steward here for God's glory? Why is it that he has put me in this circumstance. So murmuring, discontentment, patience, stewardship, I think all of these ultimately reside right there at the point where we understand what God's will is and we understand our own will and we do the work to try to get those two going in the same direction. Anybody else? All right, let me pray for us before we depart. Lord, thank you that we're able to gather this morning and to look at your word and to use this book to help us dig down deep into our own desires and to understand what to do when we feel or hear ourself murmuring or being discontent. Lord, as we go here, we implore upon you to give us heart that is fully aligned with your will to continue to renew our minds and to make us love the things that you love and hate the things that you hate and to be content in our Circumstances and with the things that we have but to never let go of that holy discontentment of a perfect kingdom Ruled by Christ and a new heaven and new earth forever and ever to the praise of your glory. Amen