♫ 2025-08-03 St. Paul's Presbyterian Church

Please Stand for the Word of God

Welcome -

Facing the people, the leader greets them in the Lord's name. The Greeting should be explicitly Christian, declaring that the Lord is present and empowers our worship. A collection of such greetings is found on 448-58 and in The Christian Year, 239-421.

The Greeting may be a scripture sentence, such as:

This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (PSALM 118:24)

Scripture Reading

“Rend your heart and not your garments.  Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity”.  Joel 2:13. 

Chorus For Thou O Lord

Chorus I will give thanks to Thee

Chorus Bind us together Lord

Exhortation

 Dear friends, the scriptures urge us to acknowledge our wickedness before almighty God our heavenly Father and to confess our many sins to Him, that they may be forgiven through His infinite goodness and mercy in Jesus Christ our

Lord. We should always humbly admit our sins before God, but especially when we meet together to give thanks for the great benefits we have received from Him, to praise and worship Him, to hear His holy word and to ask

what is necessary for our bodies and souls. Therefore let us come before the throne of our gracious God and say together :

General Confession said together.  

Almighty and most merciful Father, we have strayed from Your ways like lost sheep, we have left undone what we ought to

have done, and we have done what we ought not to have done. We have followed our own ways and our own desires and we have neglected and broken Your holy laws. Have mercy on us Lord.

Restore those who repent and confess their sins according to Your promises declare in Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant, merciful Father, for His sake, that hereafter we may live a righteous and obedient life,  to the glory of Your Holy Name. Amen. 

Assurance of forgiveness said by the minister standing.

Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, does not desire the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn from his wickedness and live.  He has given authority and commandment to His ministers to declare to His people that

He pardons and forgives the sins of all who truly repent and believe His holy gospel.  Therefore, let us ask Him to grant us true repentance and His Holy Spirit, that we may please Him now, and that the rest of our life may be pure and holy so that

at the last we may come to His eternal joy through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed by thy Name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, In earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our

trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, For ever and ever.  Amen. 

Gian-Marco

will now read the Old Testament reading to us from the NIV pew bible.

He begins with “Hear the Word of God as it is written in

Psalm Psalm 49

First Reading Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:23

He ends with “This is the word of God”.

Congregation: “Thanks be to God”

Monte

will now read the New Testament reading to us from the NIV pew bible.

She begins with “Hear the Word of God as it is written in

Second Reading Colossians 3:5-17

Gospel Luke 12:13-21

She ends with “This is the word of God”.

Congregation: “Thanks be to God”.

Hymn Brother let me be your servant

Sermon

Prayer Lord, open the book to our ears, hearts and understanding. Speak through your servant, we pray, amen.

SECRETS OF SUCCESSFUL LIVING WORDS OF LIFE SERIES 1 BIBLE STUDY NOTES SECRETS OF SUCCESSFUL LIVING by Francis W. Dixon

Study 7 WHAT TO DO WHEN TROUBLE COMES Key Verse:  “David was greatly distressed…But David found strength in the LORD his God”   (1 Samuel 30: 6)

In this study, which is based on 1 Samuel 30:1-6, we are to consider a period in David’s life when he was plunged into great distress and trouble, Have you been in such a situation? I recall a time when I was arrested at the Namibian Border post. Put in a police van and taken to prison.

And we shall see what David did in his time of trouble and how wonderfully the Lord undertook for him.  Trouble is no respecter of persons (Job 5:7 “7 For man is born for trouble, As sparks fly upward.” ; Job 14:1 “1 “Man, who is born of woman, Is short-lived and full of turmoil.” ). 

Maybe you are passing through a time of trouble now?  If so, there is help in this study for you;  and if you are not in the midst of trouble today, here is ministry in advance which will prepare you for some future day, for trouble comes to us all, and it is a good thing when we know what to do in a time of trouble.  Notice, from           1 Samuel 30:1-6, that:-

1. David’s trouble was very real.

There was nothing imaginary about it, as we learn from these verses.  How does your trouble compare with his?  Does yours have to do with some great loss in your life (verse 1); is it connected with your loved ones (verse 3); is it so great that you have wept until you have had no more power to weep (verse 4)?  How real our troubles are!  There is nothing imaginary about them, and it is not wrong to weep and to find relief in this way (John 11:35 “35 Jesus wept.” ).

2. David was in trouble although he was a child of God.

It is very important for us to notice this.  The Lord loved David – look up Acts 13:22 “22 “After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’” ;  yet David found himself in the midst of these very distressing circumstances.  Because we are Christians we must not expect immunity from trouble.  Think how much the Lord suffered (Hebrews 13:12), and how much the apostle Paul endured (2 Corinthians 11:23-30)!  Indeed, can you think of one true child of God who has not experienced something of the bitterness of trial and testing?  We are not to think that God does not love us when trouble comes across our path – look up 1 Peter 4:12 “12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;” .

3. The Lord permitted David’s trouble.

He allowed it to happen.  He permitted distress to come into the life of His child, just as He did with Joseph (Genesis 39:20);  Jeremiah (Jeremiah 37:15);  Peter (Acts 12:5-6);  and John Bunyan – and just as He has with many of His servants today.  When Job was overwhelmed with distress, his faith was so firmly established in the Lord and in the fact that God is sovereign, and that nothing had happened in his life, or would happen, without God’s gracious permission, that he was able to say – Job 13:15 “15 “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him.” .  The Lord could have prevented Job’s trouble, and He could prevent all our troubles;  but He does not do so, and the biggest lesson that He wants us to learn is to trust Him where we cannot understand the “whys” and the “wherefores” of His dealings with us.  Romans 8:28 “28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” is true, and it always will be true.

4. David’s trouble was in a very real sense his own fault.

This is very solemn, for David had backslidden, and no child of God can do that and escape God’s chastening.  It seems clear that the Lord allowed trouble to come into David’s life in order that he might be corrected – look up Psalm 55:19 “19 God will hear and answer them— Even the one who sits enthroned from of old— Selah. With whom there is no change, And who do not fear God.” , and compare Deuteronomy 8:2–3 “2 “You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 “He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.” and Hebrews 12:6 “6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.”” .  Saul, whose story is told in this same First Book of Samuel, threw off the authority of God, as David did, “but in the two cases we see the difference between judgment and chastening.  In the case of Saul, his life and career were terminated as the punishment for his offences;  in the case of David, however, the rod was lifted to correct – not to destroy;  to bring him back, not to drive him away for ever;  to fit him for service, not to cut him asunder.”  It may be that your trouble is your own fault? – look up Genesis 42:21, and notice the words “that’s why this distress has come upon us”.  God only permits the testings and trials of life for His glory and always for our good.

5. David’s trouble was really a blessing in disguise.

You say, “How can this be, with wife, home and friends gone?”  It was a blessing in disguise because in verse 8 we are told that David enquired of the Lord;  and any experience which drives us to the Lord is worth while - look up Psalm 119:67 “67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word.” and Hebrews 12:11 “11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” .  The one thing that God is seeking in your life and mine is a complete surrender of ourselves to Him.  He wants us to love Him and His will, and to trust Him completely.

What did David do in his time of trouble?  Verse 6 tells us he “found strength in the Lord his God.”  It is good to find strength in the Lord personally, but sometimes we need to help others to find this strength.   How can we do this?

(1) Remind yourself that you belong to Him.  “David found strength in the Lord his God.”  Rest upon the assurance of this personal relationship.

(2) Recall His past mercies – the wonderful way in which he has undertaken for you, led you, blessed you, provided for you and used you in the past (1 Samuel 7:12)

(3) Turn to Him – in confession (1 John 1:9), and in petition (Psalm 34:6); humble yourself before Him and look to Him alone for deliverance (Psalm 69:17).

(4) Enquire of Him (verse 8). Ask Him what you should do in your trying situation.

(5) Obey Him (verses 9 and 10).  David obeyed, he “continued the pursuit”.

(6) Trust Him.  At the end of verse 8 we read that the Lord promised David complete victory, and when he went forth (verse 9), he trusted the Lord to fulfil His word.  All God’s promises are made to us in order that we may take Him at His word and trust Him to fulfil in us and for us that which He has promised – look up Psalm 37:5; Proverbs 3:5-6;  Matthew 11:28;  Romans 8:28; Philippians 4:19.

(7) Acknowledge His goodness (verse 23) – look up Psalm 9:9; 27:5; 46:1; 143:11; and Nahum 1:7. The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble, And He knows those who take refuge in Him.

Prayer Gracious and Loving God, We thank You for the nourishment of Your Word and the stirring of our hearts through the message shared today. May the seeds sown in us take deep root and bear fruit—fruit of repentance, renewal, and bold obedience.

Help us not to be hearers only, but doers of Your Word. As we step back into the rhythms of daily life, remind us that Your presence goes with us. Empower us to live out the truth we've received, to be salt and light in our communities, and to show compassion where there is need.

May Your Spirit continue to teach us, challenge us, and comfort us in the days ahead. We entrust the outcome of this message into Your hands, praying that it would transform us for Your glory.

In the name of Christ our Lord, Amen.

Notices Mr. John Oberholzer

Birthdays

Dinah Darker 5 Aug

Rosa Jacobs 24 Aug

Gerda Benada 25 Aug

Collection Janet

Praise God from whom all blessing flow

Prayer

Hymn Lord , make me an instrument

Doxology - Now unto him.