Text: Judges 7:19-8:3 <\/p>\n
I. It is hard to do much of anything without running into someone complaining about it.<\/p>\n A. Clem Thurman tells this story: “When I was a young lad on the farm in western\nOklahoma, we had a team of mules. It fell my lot to work those mules quite often,\nand I soon found that one of them loved to kick. On a wagon, that wasn’t a\nproblem to me, because I was far away from his heels. But when I was on a\nharrow or go-devil, I was pretty close, and I was worried. When I expressed my\nconcern to Papa, he told me, ‘He’s not trying to hurt you. He just kicks so he\nwon’t have to pull.’ I soon found that was true. And through the years, I have\nfound that same thing to be true with most of us human beings! We quite often\nkick about various things to keep from working. And it is true in the Lord’s\nchurch. Regardless of the program of work proposed in the congregation, some\nare going to find fault with it. Most of those fault-finders never work in any\nprogram, but they kick against all of the programs.”\n
B. Let’s examine the nature of criticism.<\/p>\n
II. Why people criticize<\/p>\n
A. Some criticize because they want a share of the glory<\/p>\n 1. Judges 8:1 – Gideon just routed the Midianite army with only 300 men. \nInstead of rejoicing that God had given Israel victory, the Ephriamites\ncomplained that they didn’t get a share of the battle.\n 2. I often notice that these same people rarely complain if they couldn’t share\nin the defeat.\n
B. Some are critical of any change<\/p>\n 1. Acts 11:1-3 – Peter just witnessed the bringing of the first Gentile into the\nChurch. Instead of rejoicing that God had brought salvation to all nations,\nthe complainers focused on the fact that these people were not Jews.\n 2. Change means work on my part. In this case, the complainers would have\nto re-examine their beliefs and prejudices. A fundamental change in their\nbeliefs would have to change. Some people just don’t take change well.\n 3. Judges 6:30-31 – Gideon tore down the alters to Baal; a right and proper\nthing to do. Still the people complained. \n
C. Some criticize because they don’t like the discomfort in between<\/p>\n 1. Have you noticed that most changes require some discomfort before you\nget to the better state?\n 2. Exodus 17:1-3 – To leave slavery in Egypt to freedom in their own land, the\nIsraelites had to travel through some rough territory. Some did not think\nthe suffering was worth the reward.\n
D. Some people turn to criticism when they don’t have any control<\/p>\n
1. Isaiaha 45:9-10 – God is in control, what right do we have to be critical.<\/p>\n 2. Some turn on others to blame for their problems. “Well, I didn’t ask to be\nborn in this family.”\n
E. Some people criticize because they are not involved<\/p>\n 1. Nehemiah 4:1-3 – Sanballat and Tobiah did not want Jerusalem rebuilt. They\ndid not help with the work. Yet, they stood by and criticized their efforts.\n
a. You can’t do it, you’ve been defeated before. You’re too weak.<\/p>\n
b. It will take too long.<\/p>\n
c. You don’t have the right material.<\/p>\n
d. You don’t know what you are doing<\/p>\n
e. It won’t last<\/p>\n 2. Churches that are active, with plans and programs to reach out to the lost\nwith the gospel will be criticized.\n a. The criticism will come from those who won’t work in any program\nthat is set forth.\n b. When the church grew, those outside complained and conspired\nagainst it. And yet it still grew – Acts 4:25\n
III. Things to do to take the wind out of criticism<\/p>\n A. II Corinthians 8:16-21 – The collection for the saints in Jerusalem was delivered by Paul,\nbut with representatives from the churches going with him.\n
1. It is not that the churches did not trust Paul<\/p>\n 2. Rather, Paul was planning in advance that there would be critics. He\nheaded off the complaints before they even formed.\n B. Genesis 43:9 – Jacob and his family were running out of food. Jacob wanted to\nsend his boys down for more grain, but they reminded him that they had to bring\nBenjamin with them. Jacob was too afraid to let him go.\n 1. Judah \n was willing to take the risk. He was willing to bear the blame.\n 2. Sometimes we let the complainers stop us. We don’t want to hear the “I\ntold you so” if it doesn’t work.\n
3. Sometimes we have to move on, despite the complaints.<\/p>\n
C. Leave things in God’s hands – Psalms 35:1-2<\/p>\n
1. With God on our side, who can withstand? – Isaiah 50:8-9<\/p>\n
D. Above all, don’t stop! <\/p>\n
1. If it is right, good, and justified in the sight of God, then keep on going!<\/p>\n
IV. Advise for the critical<\/p>\n
A. Don’t criticize that which doesn’t harm you – Proverbs 3:30<\/p>\n 1. It may not be the way you would do things, but does that make a\ndifference?\n B. Don’t be quick to criticize when you don’t understand the consequences – Proverbs \n25:8\n
C. Don’t make criticism a public matter – Proverbs 25:9-10<\/p>\n
V. Before criticizing, first earn the right to complain<\/p>\n A. R. L. James stated once, “Have you ever noticed that the members of the church\nwho attend the fewest services know the least about the Bible? They gripe the\nmost, kick the most, work the least, and stand the least chance of getting to\nheaven.”\n
B. The eldership in one congregation came up with a “License to Complain” form.<\/p>\n 1. It is interesting to note that the church reported no license were issued. \nThose who applied were not qualified and those who qualified did not\napply.\n
License to Complain<\/p>\n
\n
To qualify, the applicant must certify:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n❒ I attend all regular and special worship services of the\nchurch, expecting a blessing from each experience.\n❒ I pray each day for fellow members of the congregation, the\npreacher, each officer and leader that they may be\nstrengthened and guided.\n❒ I see that my children take part in all activities for them in\nthe church.\n❒ I volunteer for, gladly accept, and enthusiastically carry out\nresponsibilities in the church.\n❒ I visit the sick and the shut-ins and help in evangelistic\ncalling on prospective members.\n❒ I regularly and systematically give of my income to the\ncongregation, always praying for God’s help in making me\naware of my financial obligations.\n❒ I firmly believe others in the congregation are motivated by\ngood will in their relationship to and actions towards me\nand I interpret them that way even as I anticipate their love\nand understanding of me.\n
Signature of Applicant ____________________________________________ Date __________<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Text: Judges 7:19-8:3 I. It is hard to do much of anything without running into someone complaining about it. A. Clem Thurman tells this story: “When I was a young lad on the farm in western Oklahoma, we had a team of mules. It fell my lot to work those mules quite often, and I soon found…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[794],"class_list":["post-15203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon","tag-criticism"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":86854,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/trouble-on-the-farm-and-in-the-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":15203,"position":0},"title":"Trouble on the Farm and in the Church","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Leslie Diestelkamp When I was quite young, I learned some important lessons regarding farm work. Mules were my favorite beast of burden (those were the days when there were very few tractors on Missouri farms). But I immediately learned to regard with much awe the hind feet of a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/donkey-300x300.avif","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5350,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-you-handle-criticism\/","url_meta":{"origin":15203,"position":1},"title":"How do you handle criticism?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 18, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What are the biblical teachings concerning criticism, forgiveness, and how to deal with criticism? Criticism has many faces, but I'm inquiring about the kind that can mar a person's self-esteem and his good reputation. Answer: How you handle criticism depends on why you are being criticized. \"For this is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28957,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/button-that-pocket-soldier\/","url_meta":{"origin":15203,"position":2},"title":"Button That Pocket, Soldier!","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 25, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jefferson David Tant A retired Army officer recalled an incident when he inspected some recruits who had just finished basic training. He stood right in front of one, making the young man quite nervous. The officer noted an unbuttoned pocket flap on the private's shirt, and barked out in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Drill_instructor_at_the_Officer_Candidate_School-300x220.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":24889,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/consider-the-source\/","url_meta":{"origin":15203,"position":3},"title":"Consider the Source (Hamilton)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 19, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Chronicles 24:15-22 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A fellow preacher, whom I\u2019ve corresponded with for several years, wrote concerned about how to address a problem. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0He had recently contacted a man who had been in a preacher\u2019s training program and moved into the area a few months prior.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":59755,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/some-thoughts-about-offering-criticism\/","url_meta":{"origin":15203,"position":4},"title":"Some Thoughts About Offering Criticism","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 7, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"by William Barclay \"I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first\" (Revelation 2:19). There is something very interesting about this verse. The letter to the church at Thyatira is to be a letter\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41858,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/dealing-with-criticism\/","url_meta":{"origin":15203,"position":5},"title":"Dealing with Criticism (Thomas)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 12, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"by Michael Thomas We've all been told unpleasant things. \"You're not doing this right.\" \"You could've done this better.\" You're not as good at this as he is.\" Criticism justified or not, is a part of life, so how can we benefit from it? 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