Date:      19th November 2008                                                              (Wednesday PM)                                                                                Ref: A0410

Place:     Kambah P.S.

Title: Deep Trouble

Text:        & Psalm 3:4

Illust:     As the world celebrates World Toilet Day today, sanitation experts have called for the end of the flushing dunny to save water and provide fertilizer for crops. Leading health advocates have called for the use of "dry" toilets which separate urine from faeces and remove the need to flush. Speaking at the recent World Toilet Summit in Macau, World Toilet Organisation founder Jack Sims said the concept of the flushing toilet was unsustainable. Mr Sims said a culture where people flushed their loos but disregarded the thousands of litres of wasted drinking water each year was one of sanitation's greatest challenges. "This 'flush and forget' attitude creates a new problem which we have to revisit," he said. There have already been calls by Australian experts to reduce the amount of water wasted through toilet flushing with a proposed new toilet tax.  – I just want to say that if this madness continues we are going to be in deep …. trouble.

I.                   Trouble

A.               Hounds of Trouble

i.                 Trouble is one of those things that we experience in life. It is inevitable that if you don’t find trouble it will find you – The word “trouble” appears 60 times in the book of Psalms alone - Part of life.

        Job 5:7 Yet man is born to trouble, As the sparks fly upward. (NKJV)

ii.               Two aspects of trouble; sometimes we get ourselves into trouble. Your actions, your words, don’t do what we should eg pay bills, get into trouble

        Job 4:8 Even as I have seen, Those who plow iniquity And sow trouble reap the same. (NKJV)

iii.             However sometimes trouble just bubbles up, seems to come from nowhere & can be like a hound pursuing us, everywhere you turn, trouble seems to strike. This is the context of our text – David’s son Absalom has rebelled & David is fleeing for his life.  1 A Psalm of David When He Fled from Absalom His Son.  Trouble is pursuing him. ~ Trouble is a part of life

B.               Many Faces of Trouble

i.                 Trouble also wears many faces.

      Str 6862 צַר, צַר, צַר [tsar, tsar /tsar/] 105 occurrences; translates as “enemy” 37 times, “adversary” 26 times, “trouble” 17 times, “distress” five times, “affliction” three times, “foes” twice, “narrow” twice, “strait” twice, “flint” once, “sorrow” once,[1]

ii.               It is any affliction or trial or problem: Think about it there are financial troubles, health troubles, car troubles, relationship troubles, work is mostly just dealing with troubles, troubles with the kids, trouble at the shops. A day is normally handling one trouble after another.

iii.             Troubles understanding the word of God, the plan & purpose of God, troubles you that you don’t see all that you want to see. – Trouble with a capital “T”

II.                 Cry Aloud

A.               Pray

i.                 What is the right response when we are struggling with issues, fruitfulness, relationship difficulties – troubles in all its varied forms. – Lesson from David, - who is in serious trouble. - I cried to the Lord with my voice

ii.               Here it is: David prays; so to should we. So many day to day troubles, so many dreams, plans, needs, yet how much do you really pray?

iii.             You can work through some troubles, but think how much easier if you have divine omnipotence guiding you & strengthening you. Also to you can find yourself in trouble where there is no help outside of God. No hope, no solution you have no way out.

        Psalm 108:12 Give us help from trouble, For the help of man is useless. (NKJV)

iv.             Here is David, he is in serious trouble & his words echo down to us through the ages. Cry to the Lord, seek God, pray call upon Him.

B.               Aloud

i.                 Interesting point to note here: - David says I cried to the Lord with my voice  ~ While we know that God hears silent prayers – Hannah praying at Shiloh is a good example, there is something about praying aloud. – Forcing your mouth to speak out loud.

ii.               Helps to focus your mind when you are deliberately trying to speak intelligent words. I know for myself that sometimes when I am silent that while I might start ok, soon my mind is wandering, some minutes can go by before I think, whoops I am supposed to be praying not day dreaming. – Saying something that makes sense forces me to stay focussed.

iii.             It is also hard although not impossible to be passionate without making a noise (again Hannah is the exception) – Passionate prayers are needed. You need to be serious about what you are praying for.

        James 5:16 The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (NKJV)

iv.             A word about praying in tongues, powerful, necessary, but need to stay focussed on what you are praying for when you are praying in tongues.

III.              He Hears

A.               Hears & Answers

i.                 And now we come to the really good part. I cried to the Lord with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. – He heard me, - God hears you.

ii.               When God hears he does not just listen & nod His head, God is a God who delivers in response to prayer: - Spurgeon puts it like this.

      "I have often heard persons say in prayer, "Thou art a prayer-hearing and a prayer-answering God," but the expression contains a superfluity, since for God to hear is, according to Scripture, the same thing as to answer.

        Psalm 34:6 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. (NKJV)

        Psalm 34:17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles. (NKJV)

iii.             What a great thought, as you cry out to Him, He hears & delivers, saves, helps, provides answers, changes circumstances & situations. – Nothing is too hard for God. – Cry out to Him

      When prayer leads the van, in due time deliverance brings up the rear. Thomas Watson

B.               God Wants You to Call on Him

i.                 Not disturbing / Interrupting  God - It is what He wants

        Psalm 50:15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” (NKJV)

ii.               God will help you, it brings glory to His name, when His people seek Him and He answers them in the midst of trouble.

        Psalm 143:11 Revive me, O Lord, for Your name’s sake! For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble. (NKJV)

iii.             In all of life’s many & varied troubles, small or great, you can face them & be victorious through them as you cry out to God

        Psalm 138:7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. (NKJV)

      We need not fear a frowning world while we rejoice in a prayer-hearing God. Charles Spurgeon

IV.             Altar Call

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[1]Strong, J. (1996). The exhaustive concordance of the Bible : Showing every word of the text of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurrence of each word in regular order. (electronic ed.) (H6862). Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship.