WHAT DID NOAH DO WITH THE WOODPECKERS?
Lesson: Philippians 2: 1-4…
Text: Philippians 2:14, “Do all things without murmuring and disputing…”
This verse that we are going to use for this lesson simply says, “Do all things without murmuring and disputing…” In other words don’t complain or grumble about whatever it is that you are doing or have to do…
But I wonder what Noah did with the woodpeckers…?
Most people are familiar with the Bible story of Noah and the ark that he built under instruction from God…
Text: Philippians 2:14, “Do all things without murmuring and disputing…”
This verse that we are going to use for this lesson simply says, “Do all things without murmuring and disputing…” In other words don’t complain or grumble about whatever it is that you are doing or have to do…
But I wonder what Noah did with the woodpeckers…?
Most people are familiar with the Bible story of Noah and the ark that he built under instruction from God…
Question: Have you ever been instructed by God to do anything? Yes, we all have…Just read the text for this lesson…
God instructed Noah to build a boat from gopher wood because it would soon rain and the earth would be flooded…The ark was to provide safety for Noah and his family, along with the animals…He was instructed to bring animals of every kind in two's and seven's…The instruction was every kind… That included woodpeckers…
If any of us know anything about wooden boats, we will know that woodpeckers could be fatal to a wooden boat…What did Noah do with them? Woodpeckers poke holes in wood…!
We are all familiar with woodpeckers in our lives…The people who poke holes in everything! The people who complain about everything…The people who are never happy about anything…The people who sit off to the side and whisper about things that they should not even be thinking about…People who say they want to serve the Lord, but when they do, they sit somewhere and complain about having to do whatever it is that the Lord wants them to do…Woodpeckers are often selfish people who want to keep the good stuff just for themselves and their little group…
The woodpeckers in our lives are the people who gossip about other people…The woodpeckers in our lives are the people who judge you and I and in the same breath say, “I’m not judging them, but listen to this…” The woodpeckers are people who judge others without ever taking a look into their own lives…
Woodpeckers have the negative, critical attitudes that show up everywhere…They are in our families, organizations, business, churches, and even in our own little circle of friends…
Noah had no choice about having woodpeckers…We also, often have to deal with these people ourselves…
Here are some important things for you to know about woodpeckers, or negative people in your life…
THEY ARE OFTEN LOUD…
If you have ever had a woodpecker near you, you know they are loud…It often sounds like a machine gun as they rapidly peck away at the wood…
God instructed Noah to build a boat from gopher wood because it would soon rain and the earth would be flooded…The ark was to provide safety for Noah and his family, along with the animals…He was instructed to bring animals of every kind in two's and seven's…The instruction was every kind… That included woodpeckers…
If any of us know anything about wooden boats, we will know that woodpeckers could be fatal to a wooden boat…What did Noah do with them? Woodpeckers poke holes in wood…!
We are all familiar with woodpeckers in our lives…The people who poke holes in everything! The people who complain about everything…The people who are never happy about anything…The people who sit off to the side and whisper about things that they should not even be thinking about…People who say they want to serve the Lord, but when they do, they sit somewhere and complain about having to do whatever it is that the Lord wants them to do…Woodpeckers are often selfish people who want to keep the good stuff just for themselves and their little group…
The woodpeckers in our lives are the people who gossip about other people…The woodpeckers in our lives are the people who judge you and I and in the same breath say, “I’m not judging them, but listen to this…” The woodpeckers are people who judge others without ever taking a look into their own lives…
Woodpeckers have the negative, critical attitudes that show up everywhere…They are in our families, organizations, business, churches, and even in our own little circle of friends…
Noah had no choice about having woodpeckers…We also, often have to deal with these people ourselves…
Here are some important things for you to know about woodpeckers, or negative people in your life…
THEY ARE OFTEN LOUD…
If you have ever had a woodpecker near you, you know they are loud…It often sounds like a machine gun as they rapidly peck away at the wood…
They are not concerned about the noise or how it affects anyone, they are just pecking away…Like in church when the preacher is speaking or preaching and the woodpeckers just keep on peckin just like to speaker is not even in sight…They only seem to be concerned with what is important to them at that moment…
Negative people, (Woodpeckers) are often easily identified by being loud…Not necessarily volume, but noise…They will often be sitting somewhere gossiping about something in their own little circle, and when someone comes up they might stop peckin for a little while only to pick up where they left off when the coast is clear…
These woodpeckers will have something negative to say about everything…Whether they have been asked to or not…They think they should share their opinion about every subject that comes up…The more it affects them personally, the louder they get…They comment and have an opinion on every subject…They believe it is their, “right” to share there opinion…No matter haw positive something is, they can always find the negative thing to say…You rarely leave them feeling lifted or encouraged…
WOODPECKERS PRODUCE UGLY WORK…
Woodpeckers are not craftsmen…There is no design or masterpiece going to appear…As a matter of fact they can take a beautiful piece of wood and make it look extremely bad…If left alone, they can eventually destroy something of value…
Negative People, or woodpeckers, often have the same effect…There is rarely anything constructive to be made of their comments… In their wake there are usually hurt feelings, broken relationships, lack of teamwork and underachievement…
Negative people, (Woodpeckers) are often easily identified by being loud…Not necessarily volume, but noise…They will often be sitting somewhere gossiping about something in their own little circle, and when someone comes up they might stop peckin for a little while only to pick up where they left off when the coast is clear…
These woodpeckers will have something negative to say about everything…Whether they have been asked to or not…They think they should share their opinion about every subject that comes up…The more it affects them personally, the louder they get…They comment and have an opinion on every subject…They believe it is their, “right” to share there opinion…No matter haw positive something is, they can always find the negative thing to say…You rarely leave them feeling lifted or encouraged…
WOODPECKERS PRODUCE UGLY WORK…
Woodpeckers are not craftsmen…There is no design or masterpiece going to appear…As a matter of fact they can take a beautiful piece of wood and make it look extremely bad…If left alone, they can eventually destroy something of value…
Negative People, or woodpeckers, often have the same effect…There is rarely anything constructive to be made of their comments… In their wake there are usually hurt feelings, broken relationships, lack of teamwork and underachievement…
They are rarely satisfied with other people’s success but always extremely proud of their own…With just a few words, something that was extremely beautiful can become extremely ugly…
UGLY WORDS SPREADS FAST…
The definition of murmur means, to complain, or to grumble, [whispering] "grumble, grumble," in a low voice…These things seem to travel faster than the speed of sound…
Often gossiping words, murmuring, and complaining, spread like wildfire and cause other people to want to go find other friends or another place to make their spiritual nest…It should not be this way…God has given us each instructions to live by and those instructions are contained in His Word
UGLY WORDS SPREADS FAST…
The definition of murmur means, to complain, or to grumble, [whispering] "grumble, grumble," in a low voice…These things seem to travel faster than the speed of sound…
Often gossiping words, murmuring, and complaining, spread like wildfire and cause other people to want to go find other friends or another place to make their spiritual nest…It should not be this way…God has given us each instructions to live by and those instructions are contained in His Word
THE SIN OF MURMURING!
So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, 'If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?'" (Num. 14:1-3)
In the above text the Israelites murmured against their gracious and loving God… Needless to say, their murmurings displeased Him…
Sadly, many Christians are murmurers and complainers… In the home, on the job and in the local church they grumble, murmur and complain…
They can see nothing good… To them, everything is bad -- Their life is miserable and they want to make it that way for everyone else…
To murmur means to grumble or whine… It is not wrong to complain if correction is needed, but there should be no murmuring…
The Grecian widows in Acts 6:1-5 had a just complaint… They were being neglected in the daily ministration... It was in order for them to complain but not to murmur…
In relation to the local church, if you have a just complaint about services, the temperature of the building, the singing, the song leader, the elders, the preacher, Bible classes, etc., a complaint is in order… But if it is not corrected, as you would have it, do not murmur... Such murmuring is wrong…
There are several examples of the sin of murmuring in the New Testament, like the parable of the laborers in the vineyard (Matt. 20:1-16…
They murmured because they had worked all day while others who had worked for a much shorter period received the same wages… They had received their just due but they still murmured…
The scribes and Pharisees murmured against the disciples of Jesus because they ate and drank with publicans and sinners but they were really striking out at Jesus (Luke 5:29-32)… They did not care that the publicans and sinners needed Jesus… They were only concerned with their personal agenda…(Just like woodpeckers…)
The Jews murmured about Jesus because He said He was the bread of life (John 6:41)… Instead of investigating His claim in an effort to know the truth, they murmured…
If we were to summarize the general tone of these examples it would be fair to conclude that when the behavior of Jesus was not according to what they thought it should be, they murmured…
There is not a single one of us who appreciates murmurers... When another person engages in this sin, we see its ugly quality… Trust me, it does not look any better in us…
Make no mistake, murmuring is sin… "Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world" (Phil. 2:14-15)…Are we shining or whining…?
"Be hospitable to one another without grumbling" (1 Pet. 4:9)… It causes one to perish (1 Cor. 10:10).
Sadly, murmuring is one of the most widespread sins among some brethren… Those who would never think of committing adultery or murder are guilty of this sin… Some who have the highest morals, hold fast, most closely to doctrine, and are most liberal in their giving, contradict all the good things they do by whining…
Discontent causes murmuring… Christians are taught to be content with necessities (1 Tim. 6:7-8); what they have (Heb. 13:5); their lot (Phil. 4:11); and God's way (Luke 5:5).
Selfish people want their way and do not like it one bit if they do not get it, therefore, they murmur…(Many woodpeckers in the church fall into this group…)
Being discontent and selfish, one murmurs and whines and thus sins, bringing condemnation to himself…
Another product of his actions, though, is division among God's people for that is what the murmurer is trying to do -- get people to become sympathetic to his point of view and antagonistic toward the other point of view…
Proverbs tells us that one of the seven things God hates is "one who sows discord among brethren" (Prov. 6:19).
Let us not murmur ... Rather, let us be content in life… Let us be happy and "rejoice always in the Lord" (Phil. 4:4)… Let us be thankful for our blessings and be characterized by a spirit of gratitude…
Let us never be selfish… Let us always regard others better than self and look out for the interests of others (Phil. 2:3-4)…
Let us follow the things, which make for peace and let all things be done unto edifying (Rom. 14:19; 1 Cor. 14:26).
"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice... And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you" (Eph. 4:31-32)…
"I am more deadly than the screaming shell of the cannon… I win without killing… I tear down homes, break hearts, and wreck lives… I travel on the wings of the wind… No innocence is strong enough to intimidate me, no purity pure enough to daunt me… I have no regard for truth, no respect for justice, no mercy for the defenseless… My victims are as numerous as the sands of the sea and often as innocent… I never forget and seldom forgive… My name is Gossip."
CONCLUSION:
We should each study God’s Word because it is a well-spring unto life…but…
We should each study God’s Word because it is a well-spring unto life…but…
“A fool's mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul… The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts” Proverbs…
Ephesians 4:29 says this… “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen…"
As we close this lesson, lets go back to the story of Noah and the woodpeckers…
Ephesians 4:29 says this… “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen…"
As we close this lesson, lets go back to the story of Noah and the woodpeckers…
What did Noah do with the woodpeckers?
KEEP THEM ABOVE THE WATERLINE…
Noah had no choice but to deal with the woodpeckers…It was part of his instruction to have them on this wood boat…The one thing he certainly had to do was keep them above the water line…It may have been ugly up top, but at least the boat was not sinking…Had he left them too deep in the hull, it could have been devastation to everyone aboard…He had to keep them above the surface…
You and I may have no choice but to deal with woodpeckers, (Negative People) in our lives…They may be in our family, co-workers, or part of our church organizations…What you can do is be careful where you allow them in your life…Keep them above the surface…
KEEP THEM ABOVE THE WATERLINE…
Noah had no choice but to deal with the woodpeckers…It was part of his instruction to have them on this wood boat…The one thing he certainly had to do was keep them above the water line…It may have been ugly up top, but at least the boat was not sinking…Had he left them too deep in the hull, it could have been devastation to everyone aboard…He had to keep them above the surface…
You and I may have no choice but to deal with woodpeckers, (Negative People) in our lives…They may be in our family, co-workers, or part of our church organizations…What you can do is be careful where you allow them in your life…Keep them above the surface…
Negative people cannot be allowed into the deep parts of your life…Do not trust your important things with woodpeckers…Negative people in the wrong place poking holes in everything may sink your ship…Make sure you keep them in their place…
One final, most important thing to remember…
All of us must be careful that we do not become woodpeckers…Make sure you are an encouraging, positive force in the lives of others and keep the woodpeckers in your life above the water line…
One final, most important thing to remember…
All of us must be careful that we do not become woodpeckers…Make sure you are an encouraging, positive force in the lives of others and keep the woodpeckers in your life above the water line…
(HAVE YOU EVER BEEN A WOODPECKER?)
posted by Fisherman For Christ at 6/25/2009 07:35:00 PM
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