Welcome to our worship today and welcome to our radio listeners. We're in the midst of a sermon series called:

 

Living without Fear

 

Fear of the Truth--week #1

Fear that evil will prosper--week #2

Fear of Abandonment--week #3

 

Today we look at--Fear of Losing Control

 

There's a young man who is very independent. He's very active, a good athlete. He enjoys testing his skills and pushing his limits. The young man's grandfather has had a major stroke and is confined to a wheelchair, depending on his family to take care of his basic needs. The young man lives in fear of a stroke happening to him.

 

There's a woman whose husband left her out of the blue. No explanation. The woman has done everything she can to put things back together. But nothing works. She has been deeply wounded by his betrayal. But there's nothing she can do. It has shaken her trust in everyone. She fears that there is no one she can depend on.

 

There's a man who is struggling with anxiety. He hears of horrible earthquakes and oil spills. He's worried about wars and government and the education of our young people. He feels powerless to change these huge institutions. He fears the future.

 

All of these fears relate to control or lack of it. Our health, people that fail us, the unknown future. We worry about such things because they are largely out of our control. And we dread losing control.

 

One Sunday a month ago we asked you to write down the 3 things that cause you the greatest fear or anxiety. And many of the things you listed are connected to the fear of losing control. Some of the ones you mentioned are----

Fear of Losing Control

 

 

Large institutions we can’t control

 

These are major fears for many of us because they are all situations that put us out of control. And we don't like to lose control. In a few minutes, we'll look at the Pharisees and their reaction to Stephen when they thought they were losing control of the religious scene. They're probably not so different from us. 

 

But I think one difference from Biblical times to today, is that in those days the average person never had much of a sense of control. The only people with a feeling of being in control were the Roman authorities and the religious hierarchy. The typical person had little control of anything.

 

It's been mostly in the last 50 years that the average person like you or me started to have a feeling of being in control of our lives. The unprecedented material prosperity of the last 50 years-- the incredible advances in medical care--the sense that technology can find an answer to every problem---have given us the illusion that we are in control of life.

 

If you think back to your own ancestors, they likely had little or no sense of control. One of my great-great-great-great grandfathers came to America during the Revolutionary War as a German Hessian soldier fighting with the British against the Americans. His life expectancy as a lowly infantryman in battle was very low. In Germany he lived in poverty with the poor health conditions of the 1700's. He had little to feel in control of. When the war was over his decision to desert the Hessian army and stay in America was the only choice he had control over. 

 

But we modern people live in comfortable conditions that our ancestors couldn't even imagine. And we start to feel like we're in control---that we have things planned out---that we're secure.

 

But are we? We certainly have more control than our ancestors, but it tends to be of lesser things. So many major ones are still beyond our control. The last several years have exposed the cracks in our financial security. Jobs status is often beyond our control. Even in medical matters where amazing things are possible, there still are sobering surprises. Just in the past few weeks, two close friends of ours have been diagnosed with cancer.

 

We can go for a while feeling things are under control, but it only takes an instant for all that to change and we are forced to realize that we are not in control of life. 

 

So what or who is in charge?? The view of many people is that nothing or no one is in control. It's all luck, random chance--ultimately there is no order and no purpose and no reason to anything that happens. People who live by that belief can only live for the moment and may express a carefree/no worries life--but sooner or later that view of life leads to hopelessness and chaos. 

 

The Christian view of life says very clearly that someone is in control. Our Lord God has created the universe and he has created you and me. He provides for us and cares for us. And the Lord has control over all the things that threaten us. In Romans 8 we hear---

Romans 8:37-39

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

Now that doesn't mean that life will be smooth and easy. It means, that because absolutely nothing can separate us from Christ's love, that even in illness, crisis or tragedy that the Lord will carry us through. And that when our time on this earth has come to an end that he has a new life and a new home waiting for us.

 

Sounds great!! And yet we have trouble accepting that promise. Why? Many reasons I'm sure--each of us has our own. But I believe that one reason is that there's a part in all of us that thinks we should be the one in charge. After all, I know what's best for me! I know how this life should play out! And we suspect that God's plan is different than our plan and we're not ready to accept that!

 

A big problem is that God doesn't share all the details of the plan with us. He's told us the final destination, but all the rest of the itinerary he's kept to himself. I don't know about you, but I don't like to travel that way!

 

But what we have to finally come to terms with is that God alone has the big picture. You and I can only see a little slice of life. God knows it all and he knows how things should work out for our benefit.

 

That doesn't mean that we should just sit back and do nothing. It means that our regular prayer should be that the Lord will help us recognize what is in our control and needs our action and what is out of control and we need to leave in God's hands.

 

St Paul puts it like this---

 

Philippians 3:20-21

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

 

Let's look at how all this played out in the life of Stephen. Turn in your Bibles to Acts chapter 6 and 7. 

 

Stephen's story begins with the disciples needing help. There's more work than they can keep up with, especially bringing food to the widows in need. And so 7 more are chosen to help with this important ministry. Stephen is the first one chosen.

 

Now when you hear the words "Stephen" and "ministry" together that you think of CLC's Stephen's Ministry program. Stephen's Ministry is named that because Stephen was the first lay person commissioned by the apostles to provide caring ministry for those in need. Our Stephen's ministers carry on that role, supporting people in all kinds of situations. I hope you know that after every one of our services, there is a Stephen's minister at the kneeling rail to pray with anyone who would like to do that. And Stephen's ministers are available to meet with you and provide support and care in all kinds of circumstances. You can contact Debe Moffat, myself or any of our Stephen's ministers if you are interested.

 

We see in chapter 6 verse 7 that these 7 new helpers brought great results for the Lord's work. And in verse 8 we hear that especially Stephen was empowered to do great wonders and signs among the people. But that causes some problems. Big problems as it turns out. The leaders of the synagogue don't like what Stephen is saying. This teaching about Jesus the Messiah is threatening their control. 

 

And so they charge him with blasphemy--false teaching about God. Stephen is brought in front of the ruling council and asked to defend himself. And in chapter 7, Stephen begins a long speech outlining how God has been active for centuries in the lives of the Hebrew people. Stephen describes how God worked in the life of Abraham--how he told Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation, but that his people would be slaves for 400 years. They would have no control, yet God would bring his plan to completion. 

 

Stephen describes how God worked in the life of Joseph. He was grabbed by his brothers and sold in to slavery. Joseph had lost all control. But God worked through those events and in Genesis 50, Joseph tells his brothers that they intended to harm him but that God used their actions for good.

 

Stephen describes how God worked in the life of Moses. His mother had to put him in a basket in the river to protect him--she lost control of her son. But God worked his plan to give Moses a place of influence in Egypt.

 

Stephen concludes his speech by showing the religious leaders how they have rejected Christ, the one God sent to save them. And even when he was crucified, God took charge and raised Christ to new life.

 

And that does it for Stephen. The leaders fear that they will lose control over the people, so they have Stephen stoned to death.

 

And yet as Stephen loses control of his earthly life, he sees heaven open and Christ standing at the right hand of God. And instead of trying to grab control over the ones who killed him, Stephen says, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit and "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." 

 

How can Stephen do that? Because he knows that this life is not all there is. 

 

And that is true not just for Abraham and Joseph and Moses and Stephen but for you and me too! And remember that at many times in their lives, Abraham and Joseph and Moses and Stephen didn't know how their lives would turn out. They had no control. But the Lord did, and he made great things happen through them.

 

AW Tozier once wrote that God's sovereignty and control is like a ship that leaves New York and is headed for England. The ship has a set course and destination. The people on the ship get out of bed when they want. They sleep when they want. They eat and walk when they choose. They have freedom of choice in all kinds of things. Yet all the while the ship is still following that set course. Likewise, even though people may do all kinds of evil in this world, even though there is suffering, this world is on a course set by God. And he knows the destination and nothing will prevent God's kingdom from reaching that completion.

 

So how do we react to this journey of life?

 

Fear says-----There are so many things we can’t control—there’s good reason to be afraid.

 

Faith says-----The Lord God, creator of the universe—who is also our loving heavenly Father is in control---there is NO reason to be afraid!

 

As the prophet Isaiah writes---

 

 Isaiah 25:7-9

 On this mountain he will destroy

 

 he will swallow up death forever.

 

 In that day they will say,

 

That is the promise the lord gives us.

 

Fear of losing control? Yeah, it's one we all struggle with. But you know, the truth is that we never really had control in the first place! The Lord does!

 

And that means that no matter what happens---illness, disaster, world governments gone wild, financial collapse, even death, that God is still in control. We have the assurance that the Lord will work out all things, even the most painful ones, for the good. Can you believe that?

 

So, we do have a choice----

 

We can respond with fear or-----

 

We can respond like Stephen with grace and confidence in Christ.

 

Amen.