"What Causes People To Get Into Trouble?"

Psalms 106:6-15 served as Ronny's text for the Lord's Day morning sermon.

God cared for Israel in bringing them out of slavery. While they may have been well fed physically, they were experiencing leanness spiritually.

Certain choices bring about trouble. Generally speaking, people ask for trouble by the decisions they make.

1. Sinful lives result in trouble.

Jonah was sent by God to preach. He didn't want to obey so he made a poor decision to run away from God. After experiencing a storm on board a ship he was cast overboard. He then spent 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of a fish God had prepared to swallow him. When he was vomited up on shore he found himself confronted with the exact same commandment of God. God had not moved. God's command had not changed. The only thing different was Jonah had experienced some unnecessary trouble because of his unwise choice.

The second time God told him to go, he went. Most of our difficulties are our own doing.

2. When we pitch our tent toward Sodom we get into trouble.

Genesis 13 tells us the story of Lot moving toward the sinful city. Genesis 14:12 tells us "Lot dwelt in Sodom." Perhaps he never envisioned being inside the city, but that's where he ended up. It's not surprising because where we head is often where we end up. He headed toward Sodom, so it's quite natural to find him ending up inside Sodom.

Sodom was a wicked place. The term "wicked" as used to describe Sodom means literally "to break in pieces, destroy and afflict." That's exactly what the citizens of Sodom had done with God's law and his natural order of things - they had broken it in pieces. They had destroyed God's natural order.

If you're isolated from God's people and from God, you're in trouble. James said that friendship with the world is enmity with God.

The TV and media expose us to filth every day. It has an impact on our lives. There are things going on that we have no business knowing about, seeing or discussing. We certainly have no business indulging in these things.

Lot's wife longed for Sodom and paid the price. Lot's daughters got him drunk and had incest with him. All terrible things that resulted from his decision to move toward Sodom.

3. When we try to hide our sins we're asking for trouble.

Genesis 3:8 tells us that Adam and Eve tried to hide from God due to their sin. You can't hide from God though. We read a story of sin being in the camp of God's people. Their sin found them out. King David tried to hide his adultery, but he just dug a deeper hole.

1 John 1:9 tells us to confess our sins. We need to come clean with God. He knows what we've done anyway.

It's unprofitable to beat about the bush. We need to just fess up to whatever sin we've commited so we can remedy it with forgiveness from God.

4. When we stretch the limitations of God's word we're asking for trouble.

God doesn't want us to expand the limits of his commands. Adam and Eve in the garden, Noah and the ark and Moses and the temple all illustrate the limits God puts on mankind - and how serious they are.

In Numbers 20:13-16 we read the story of Moses sin in striking the rock. This sin resulted in God refusing him entrance into the land of promise. Jer. 26:2 tells us "do not diminish a word." We can't stretch the limitations of God's word.

1 Peter 4:11 talks to us of speaking as the oracles of God. We can't take liberties with the Word of God.

5. When children fail to obey their parents they're asking for trouble.

Ephesians 6:1 Proverbs 4:1 Proverbs 13:1

Godly parents seek the best for their children. They seek your spiritual welfare most of all.

6. When we leave the Father's house we're asking for trouble.

2 Corinthians 5:17 and Ephesians 1:3 talk of spiritual blessings found in Christ. "Every" spiritual blessing is found in Christ. Other scriptures cited: Acts 2:47 and 1 Timothy 2:5. When people leave the Church they're asking for trouble.

Luke 15 is the story of the prodigal son. Eventually, he "came to himself." There's a certain insanity about sin. You loose your bearings and sensibilities.

If you are out of the Church you need to come home.

It was a heart felt appeal to encourage anybody present to obey the Gospel. Only hearts of stone could refuse.