The Pommie Whinger (complainer)
Whinger, whiner, grumbler, moaner, bleater, grizzler, griper（ぼやく、ぶつぶつ言う）
Did you ever wonder why we have so many words for ‘complain’? It’s because we do so much of it. Ever since Adam blamed Eve and complained to God about the woman He had given him, complaining comes very naturally to us.
Other Biblical examples:
– The Israelites in the desert
– The disciples grumbling amongst themselves
How about you? Do you complain?（あなたは文句を言いますか？）Are you a whinger?
Worse, do you complain without even being aware that you are complaining?
Husbands, when you come home from work, do you complain about your boss, your salary, the people working around you?
Wives, when you go out, do you complain to other wives about your husband, your kids, your in-laws etc?
Students, do you complain about your teachers, the amount of homework you have, about other kids at school etc?
Ministry leaders, do you complain about how much work you do for so little recognition or fruit?
Today I started with a passage for study but couldn’t get past one single verse, so that’s all we’re going to focus on（ちゅうもくする）today:
Do everything without complaining or arguing. Phil 2:14
ピリピ2:14 すべての事を、ぼやかず、うたがわないでしなさい。
I don’t see this as being a problem in our church but I do see it as being an issue in all of our lives. Complaining brings a negativity（ひていてきになる）into our lives that can be destructive without our even knowing it. It brings a darkness, a heaviness over our lives.
We can highlight this with a quick quiz. Complete the following verses:
1. This is the day which the Lord has made（この日は主がもうけられた日である）
a. but it’s got to be better somewhere else in the world（でも世界のどこかではもっと良い日があるでしょう）
b. let us complain about it from dawn until dusk（朝から晩まで文句を言おう）
c. let us rejoice and be glad in it. Ps 118:24（しへん118:24 この日を楽しみ、よろこぼう）
2. Let your conversation always be（あなたがたの言葉がいつも）
a. defensive – let no-one make a fool of you（守りのかまえでいて、誰にもバカにされないように）
b. full of complaints, criticisms and sarcastic comments（文句とひはんといやみなコメントでいっぱいに）
c. full of grace Col 4:6（コロサイ4:6 いつもしんせつに）
3. The only talk which should come out of your mouths should be that which（あなたの口から出すべき言葉は）
a. relieves you of stress and gets things off your chest（ストレスをはっさんし、むねの内をはらす）
b. makes you look good, or at least better than the person you are speaking to（自分を良く見せるか、少なくとも話している相手より良く見せる）
c. is helpful for building others up according to their needs Eph 4:29（エペソ4:29 ひつような時に人のとくをやしなうのにやくだつ）
Grumbling and negativity reflects what’s going on inside a person and affects our relationship with others.（文句を言ったり、ひていてきになるのはその人のないめんをあらわし、にんげんかんけいをさわります。）
The mouth speaks the overflow of the heart – Luke 6:45
ルカ6:45 心からあふれ出る事を、口がかたる物である。
It reflects a lack of gratitude and faith and it only serves to discourage others.
Grumbling about our lot affects our relationship with God because when we complain, we’re ultimately complaining against God and his provision, the way he made us, and the plans that he has for our lives.
We are called to be positive, not in a new-agey, self-help sense, but with a deep trust, a sense of gratitude, and by rejoicing in all things.（私たちはふかいしんらいと、かんしゃの気持ちを持ち、すべての事によろこんで前向きになるよう、もとめられているのです。）
God doesn’t grumble
Jesus didn’t grumble
The Holy Spirit doesn’t grumble.
It’s not in their nature（せいかく）.
And as children of God, it shouldn’t be in our nature to grumble either.
Take a look at Biblical exhortations for how we are to live our lives:
We are called to love, trust, shine, encourage, rejoice, exalt, praise, hope, rest, delight（愛する、しんらいする、かがやく、はげます、よろこぶ、しょうさんする、さんびする、のぞむ、やすむ、たのしむ）and many of these exhortations were given during times of great trial. We are never told to complain about our lot or to grumble.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Phil 4:8
ピリピ4:8 さいごに、兄弟たちよ。すべてしんじつな事、すべてたっとぶべき事、すべて正しい事、すべてじゅんしんな事、すべて愛すべき事、すべてほまれある事、またとくと言われる物、しょうさんにあたいする物があれば、それらの物を心にとめなさい。
Now, having said all that about complaining and grumbling, there are legitimate complaints that we can and should bring before God（神の前に持っていくべきせいとうな文句もあります）. Where there is injustice（ふこうへい）, wrongdoing（ふせいこうい）, sickness（びょうき）, we should throw ourselves at God.
Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint; protect my life from the threat of the enemy. Psalm 64:1
しへん64:1 神よ、私がなげきうったえる時、私のこえをお聞き下さい。てきのおそれから、私のいのちをお守り下さい。
It’s somewhat ironic（ぐうぜんではありません）that as I prepare this message, I receive calls and mails and news of more hardship and trial than I can remember in a long, long time. It’s been a hard week. Friends and family so distressed they are lost for words, and so am I. We must learn to rejoice in all things and remain positive（前向き）because God is still on the throne.
At the same time, we must learn to cry out to God with all of our hearts（私たちは心から神にさけべるようにならなければいけません。）
Too often our prayers are polite（えんりょう）, little telegrams to God. We’ve lost the art of petitioning（たのむ）God. It’s not the number of words, it’s the groaning of our hearts（心からのうめき）.
I want to emphasise（ちゅうもくする）how different this is to merely grumbling. It’s pleading our case before a righteous（ただしい）God. It’s crying out（よばわる）to Him. Like Samuel’s mother did in the temple and they wanted to throw her out because she was praying so hard they thought she was drunk or there was something wrong with her.
The Psalms（しへん）alone give so much evidence of this need to cry out（さけぶ）to God:
My God, I cry out by day. Psalm 22:2
しへん22:2 わが神よ、私はひるによばわる
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them. Ps.34:17
しへん34:17 正しい者がたすけをさけびもとめる時、主は聞く
Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress. Ps 55:17
しへん55:17 ゆうべに、あしたに、まひるに、私はなげきうめく
I cry out to God Most High. Ps 57:2
しへん57:2 私はいと高き神によばわります
He will deliver the needy who cry out. Ps. 72:12
しへん72:12 彼はとぼしい者をそのよばわる時にすくう
My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Ps 84:2
しへん84:2 わが心とわがみは、いける神にむかってよろこび歌います
Day and night I cry out to you. Ps 88:1
しへん88:1 わが神、主よ、私はひる、たすけをよびもとめ、よる、み前にさけびもとめます
But here’s the thing. Whenever David began a Psalm with a complaint to God, a cry to God, he always finished on a note of praise（ダビデが神に文句から言い始めるときは、いつも賛美のことばで終わっています）for who God was and for the promises of God that he could rely on and that would deliver him.
There’s a Christian term that you don’t hear much anymore. It’s called “pleading the promises of God”（神の約束をたんがんする）
Over the coming weeks and months, I want us to really get to know the promises of God so that we can plead（たんがん）them to God. I want us to plead the promises and petition God, crying out to Him with all of our hearts.（私たちが神の約束をたんがんし、心から神にさけびもとめてほしいと願っています）
Here are a couple of promises for us to start with.
If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7: 14
第2れきだいし7:14 私の名をもって、となえられ私のたみが、もしへりくだり、いのって、私のかおをもとめ、そのわるい道をはなれるならば、私は天から聞いて、その罪をゆるし、その地をいやす。
Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them. Mat 18:19,20
マタイ18:19 また、よく言っておく。もしあなたがたのうちのふたりが、どんな願い事についても地上で心を合わせるなら、天にいます私の父はそれをかなえて下さるであろう。 18:20ふたりまたは三人が、私の名によってあつまっているところには、私もその中にいるのである。
Let’s cry out（さけぶ）and plead（たのむ）these promises to God right now in small groups, along with our other needs（ひつような物）and hopes（ねがい）.