Slavery to Control

Good morning. That's terrible. I know Tobin says that all the time, but that really was bad.

Good morning. Oh, so much better. Good. My name is Chris, for those of you who don't know me.

I know this is a kind of holiday time, so there's a few of us here today, but God is with us,

and he wants to speak to us this morning.

For those of us who are Christians, who have trusted in Christ, the Bible has a lot of promises.

We've been looking at some of these promises in the series we talked about in our identity in Christ.

We've been seeing that it tells us that sin's power, if we've trusted in Christ, is broken in our lives because Christ has set us free.

It tells us that if you have trusted in Christ, you have resurrection power, you have forgiveness, you have a new hope,

you have a new purpose, you have a new life, a new identity, and everything that belongs to Jesus,

who is the king of the universe, is yours in him.

We stand loved by the one who determines the whole of history.

We have a heavenly father who is so wealthy that Forbes wouldn't have a category for him,

and he is so generous towards his children.

That is who we are if we are Christian, if we've trusted in Christ.

But Gandhi, that great Christian, said, he wasn't a Christian, but said, just testing,

he said, you Christians look after a document containing enough dynamite to blow all civilization to pieces,

turn the world upside down, and bring peace to a battle-torn planet.

But you treat it as little, as nothing more.

Listen to this.

You treat it as nothing more than a piece of literature.

That was Gandhi.

He said, as Christians, we take the promises and the Bible,

and we often treat it as little more than just literature.

I've read Lord of the Rings, but I don't wake up every morning wondering if I'm able to destroy the ring of power.

I don't wake up thinking Frodo and Bilbo play such an important part in my life.

They don't really affect my everyday decision-making because it's literature.

But Gandhi saw something in the lives of Christians around him,

and so often I see this actually in my own life,

that there is a disconnect between what we say we believe about God and his promises to us,

and actually our experience of him in our lives.

And I don't know if you ever feel like God's word is just literature for you,

that maybe that revolutionary dynamite that God wants to make it work in your soul so it transforms you,

giving you a joy and a peace that no circumstance can overcome.

Maybe that is not always our experience of life.

Maybe there is sometimes a gap between what we say we believe

and what our thoughts, what our words, what our desires and actions show us that we truly love.

And that's what we're going to be looking at.

After looking at the promises and our identity, our walk, the power that we have in Christ,

we want to look at what actually holds us back from really enjoying some of what God has for us as his people.

So we're going to start just a very short series looking at some characters in the book of Exodus.

And they show us some very interesting things about our lives.

They show us what some of the idols, the things that enslave us and ensnare us,

even when the Bible says that if you're a Christian, he has set you free.

So we're going to have a little look at this idea of idols.

And we talk about the idea of idols quite a lot in Watermark, and there's a reason for that.

A guy called Martin Lloyd-Jones, who's a famous English preacher in the last century, said,

An idol is anything in my life that occupies a place that should be occupied by God alone.

An idol is something that holds such a controlling position in my life that it moves and rouses and attracts me so easily

that I give my time, attention, and money to it effortlessly.

Simply put, an idol is whatever or whoever you and I value and give central value in our lives.

Whatever controls your heart controls your life, controls your decisions, controls everything that you do.

And if there's anything that you're more consumed with than with God,

the Bible's going to say, if you're trusting it, it's going to enslave you.

It's going to enslave you.

So we're going to have a look today at one of these idols.

And if we want to get serious about God, if we want God to really let those promises live in our lives,

then we've got to start working out what are the things which enslave us,

and working on a series, that cycle of repentance and faith, which a couple of weeks ago, Jeremy talked about.

So looking at control, we're going to look at this story, Pharaoh versus God.

We're then going to look at us versus God.

Then we're going to look at how we relinquish control.

Pharaoh versus God, us versus God, and then how we relinquish control.

So this story is familiar to some of us.

But this story comes against a backdrop.

In the Old Testament, there is one hero in the Old Testament.

That's God.

God is the hero, and God is into people, and God is into blessing and making promises to his people.

And the first thing he tells Adam and Eve to do in the Garden of Eden, he tells them, okay, he blesses them, and he says,

have lots of kids, multiply, and trust my word that I bring to you.

That's what he says.

Adam and Eve and everyone after them fail to trust God's word, and judgment comes upon them.

The cycle continues.

God then calls a man called Abraham, and he says, I want to bless you, and I want to give you many, many descendants who will multiply throughout the earth, and there will be blessing to the whole earth.

And Abraham trusts God's word, and his family over generations ends up prospering and multiplying.

They end up down in Egypt.

And then in Egypt, as they are growing and growing and growing into a great nation, and everyone is thinking, well, maybe the promises are coming true.

The story takes a turn, and that's where we're going to pick up today.

A new king takes over in Egypt, in this northern part of Egypt called Goshen, the most powerful man in the Western Hemisphere.

But he doesn't know God, and he doesn't know the story of Israel at all.

Instead, he looks at the growth of this ethnic minority as is happening in so many nations around the world today,

and he saw them as a threat to his rule.

And just as with every micromanager, every dictator, every tiger parent who has to be in control,

Pharaoh lived in fear of the things not working out according to his plan.

In fact, he was cripplingly insecure.

And you might like to look at regimes like North Korea or other dictators to see the way this works out.

So Pharaoh gets his people together to come up with a plan to neutralize this threat.

He's got to fix the situation.

That's where we pick up the story.

So in verse 9, have a look in your bulletins.

He says,

He says,

There are too many of those Israelites in our country, and they're becoming more powerful than we are.

If we don't outsmart them, their families will keep growing larger.

And if our country goes to war, they could easily fight on the side of our enemies and escape from Egypt.

He's like a boss who realizes some of his employees are smarter than him and more capable than him.

And so he's got to launch his strategy to keep himself in control.

So his first solution, his first fix, is he turns them from farmers into slaves.

If you look at verse 11 to 14, basically what he does, he commissions them to build two cities.

And many scholars believe that actually these two cities would have served as storehouses for military equipment

to build up his army to ensure his military power in the region.

So he was going to use power and control over the Israelites to make himself even stronger in the whole region.

And what he does is, with the men far away from their families, suffering under the labor of work and the harsh conditions,

he's pretty sure, well, they're not going to be having more children during this, so things are going to be okay.

But when you try and be in control,

you will seek to crush and oppress other people.

You put them in a cage of your own expectations, of your own demands.

You will try and enslave them according to your own little world.

Maybe you will even punish them if they don't do what you want them to do.

But in this story,

Pharaoh wasn't in control.

God was in control.

And in spite of everything he did,

the families kept multiplying and multiplying and multiplying

and took over yet more land.

Solution one, failed.

You know when you try and fix something and it doesn't work out,

fear, stress begins to rise.

That's what's going on among the Egyptians.

Insecurity.

So now, solution two.

He calls in two of the Hebrew midwives

in charge of the baby.

He tells them,

okay, you've got to kill any baby boys that are born.

That's verse 15, 16.

And he tells them,

if you're quick,

you could maybe claim that the babies were still born

and the gender gap between men and women would grow so large

that the women would have to marry Egyptians

and then there would be no problem

because basically they'd have to become Egyptians.

Great fix.

Pharaoh's got this one sorted.

Unfortunately, verse 18 to 21,

the solution fails

because those midwives

who Pharaoh wanted to control,

they weren't going to be controlled

because they feared God more than they feared Pharaoh

and they don't do what he asks them to do.

And when Pharaoh finds out

they haven't done what he wanted them to do,

he gets angry and he gets mad

and he calls them in.

Fortunately, Pharaoh's not very good at biology

because he accepts,

I mean, I don't know why he accepts,

you know, Hebrew women have babies quicker than Egyptians,

but, you know,

he's Pharaoh.

He's got other things to think about than biology.

But he,

he's failed.

The fix has failed.

So he comes up with solution number three.

He then calls for the whole Egyptian nation

to join in a flat-out genocide

against the newborn Hebrew babies.

And you see through this story,

you see a progression

that always happens with an idol of control

when you have to be in control.

You see,

when everything's working out,

it's fine,

but when your plans are threatened,

you try and fix the situation.

And if you can't get control,

then you begin to fear

and you begin to stress.

And if you can't then fix the problem

within your fear and distress,

your stress,

then you get frustrated and angry

and you begin to take it out on other people.

And it may even lead to murder.

Maybe not physical murder,

but murderous thoughts,

angry words,

a heart that's filled with bitterness,

resentment,

because you feel helpless,

vulnerable,

insecure.

And what you think you need

to give you fulfillment

is being snatched away

like one of those balloons

that you just see a kid

trying to chase after,

but they can never quite grasp hold of.

It's scary.

And Pharaoh thought

that his biggest issue

was the Israelites.

But what he didn't realize

was that his control idol

had blinded him to the fact

that he was actually making war on God.

Pharaoh was rebelling against God

and everything that God had planned

for his people.

He was afraid

of what God's blessing would mean.

And because when you and I

want to be in control,

what we're saying to God is,

get out of the driver's seat.

Let me take the steering wheel.

I don't like the direction

you're heading in.

I've got to be in control.

I'm taking over

because I know

what's best for me.

But the thing is,

when you try

and have two drivers

at the same time,

that never ends well.

You see,

it takes Pharaoh

ten plagues,

the death of his firstborn son,

the destruction

of a large part of his army

to realize that maybe

I'm actually not

totally in control.

What at the moment for you

is not going the way

you want it to?

Where do you feel helpless

at the moment?

What are you most afraid of

at the moment?

Because lurking there

will be tendencies

to try and grasp control.

So we've looked at how Pharaoh

does this with God.

Let's look at us now with God.

I don't know if you're like me,

but I don't consider myself

to be a dictator

with genocidal tendencies.

I personally haven't ordered

the mass killing

of an ethnic minority

at Queen Mary.

I don't feel like

I have the same amount

of power as Pharaoh.

So I wonder,

how do this connect to me?

And yet,

if you just think about it

for just a minute,

I just begin to see

that the same roots

that are in Pharaoh's heart

are actually deep down

and linger in my own heart

and they enslave me

time and time and time again.

And they stop me

from really enjoying Christ

in my everyday walk.

You see,

an idol of control

is a longing

for everything

to go according to my plan.

I have to be right.

It has to work

within this way.

I was in Shanghai last week.

We were on the,

we were buying tickets

for the metro

and we got to the ticket machine

and I punched in the destination

and Fiona, my wife,

got out some 10 yuan note,

put it in the machine

and it spits it right out again.

So I flatten it,

okay,

give it back to her.

She puts it in the machine,

spits it right out again.

Third time,

try it again,

spits it out again.

Fourth time,

try it again.

By that time,

I'm frustrated.

I've had enough.

I'm like,

okay,

I'm going over to the next can.

I've got to work

a different machine.

It's going to work in that one.

So I'm over there

but Fiona stays

in the other lane,

other machine

and she keeps trying

and I'm standing over here.

She's standing over there

like just about three,

three machines down the road

and she's still trying

and I'm looking over here.

There's two people in front of me

and I'm thinking,

why can't you stop being so stupid?

The machine's not working

and so I tell her,

I shout to her,

come over here.

Stop being an idiot.

She ignores me completely.

So I go further forward

and I can see her,

she's still going,

still going

and so I shout to her again

and you know when somebody

doesn't do what you want,

you get a little bit more annoyed,

right?

And so I'm getting more frustrated

so my tone rises.

I mean,

I'm a fairly chilled out guy normally

but you know,

so I shout,

come over here.

She ignores me,

I get to the front of the queue,

the machine works,

I type it in,

I say,

come over here.

She comes immediately over here,

puts the 10 yen note in,

it works,

we get our tickets.

And then I spend two minutes

telling her

how inconsiderate she was,

how stupid to keep trying

in that machine.

And I went on

because I was right.

My machine worked,

your machine didn't.

But she was hurt

because the words that I used

and the tone that I'd used

was harsh.

Because, you see,

I thought that my way

was the right way.

And I wanted to cage her in

into the expectations

that I had,

the demands that I had

for what she should do

at that moment.

Now, she explained to me

that she's had many situations

where actually she's tried 20 times

and after the 25th time,

it's actually worked.

I've never experienced that.

But,

in her mind,

that,

in fact,

we didn't get the tickets

any quicker

by me shouting at her.

In fact,

she came,

immediately I got to the front,

she was there,

she put them out there,

we got the tickets.

Why was I so consumed

by this?

Why did I actually hurt

and unlovingly use words

to criticize my wife?

Well,

it's because I want

to be in control.

That's how pharaohs work.

I could have waited,

asked her to come over

and then patiently waited

till the front

and, you know,

it could have,

what I was doing

could have even been

the right thing to do,

I think it was,

but my way of fixing things

is to say things like,

why can't you?

Why can't you ever listen to me?

Why can't you stop

being inconsiderate?

And, you know,

when you hear yourself

saying those words,

that's probably control

that is coming up

because people don't get built up

and encouraged by those words,

they get crushed by them.

And you'll end up,

like me,

hurting the ones you love

because you have to be in control

and have everything

the way you want it.

There's so many areas

where we do this.

In parenting,

we love our kids,

but it's sometimes

such a struggle

for our love

and the good,

healthy boundaries

that we want to set

for our kids

to not shift

into control.

Paul Tripp,

who's a counselor,

writes a very helpful article

about controlling parenting.

He says that

when kids are young,

you as the parent

have a large amount

of control.

You decide their routines,

you decide their dress sense,

you decide the food they eat.

But every day they grow,

they are learning

to be independent.

And he says this,

he says,

the goal of parenting

is not to retain

tight-fisted control

over our children

in an attempt

to guarantee

their safety

and our sanity.

It isn't to conform

my children to my image,

but to work

so that they're conformed

to the image of Christ.

My goal isn't to clone

my tastes,

opinions,

and habits

within my kids.

I'm not looking

for my image in them.

I'm looking to see Christ's.

The goal

is to be used

of God

to instill

in our children

an ever-maturing

self-control

through the principles

of the word

and to allow them

to exercise

ever-widening

circles of choice,

control,

and independence.

Because we say,

I'm not trying

to be in control,

I'm trying to do

what's best for them,

but how do you know

if you've gone

from healthy boundaries

to control,

or just look

at the level

of frustration

that you feel.

Observe the kinds

of words you use

to try and get

your kids,

your colleagues,

anybody else

to do what you

want them to do.

See your reactions

when your kids

or other people

fail to live up

to your expectations.

For those things

will be signs

of whether you

have a control problem.

Controllers like me

hate uncertainty.

Controllers like me

are perfectionists

who struggle

to delegate

to other people

because I can always

do it better

than everyone else.

Controllers are planners

who hate it

when others

upset their plans.

And our stress

and our fear

which results

often ends up

hurting the ones

that we love

the most.

And Exodus,

this story of Pharaoh

is trying to tell us

this is not just

a horizontal problem,

this is also

a vertical problem.

With Fiona,

I was saying to God,

you're not in control

of this,

I am.

So I've got to fix it.

And if I can't fix it,

then I get angry.

I say my plan

is best for my life,

I can't trust you God.

And that's at the heart

of what the Bible

calls sin.

And the consequences

of that,

of telling God,

get out of my life,

I know how to do it,

is judgment.

It's bad news.

That's what Pharaoh

experienced.

So that's how Pharaoh

deals with God.

That's how we can

often deal with God.

But how do we relinquish

control in our lives?

Let God be God

of our lives.

Well, you and I

won't let control,

go of control,

until we realize

two things.

One thing,

it should be obvious,

but we're not

in control.

Even trying to

let go of control,

because sometimes

we try and control

our letting go

of control.

And that's just

messed up.

because,

think about it,

go back to your kids again.

Can you control

your kids?

Well,

you can control

the outward aspects

of their diet,

their fashion sense,

until they get older

and they become independent.

But when they're independent,

that's scary,

because we get scared

because we love our kids,

because they might make

the wrong choices.

They might make

the wrong friends.

They might get the grades

or the schools

that we don't want

them to get into.

And you can try

and control people

on the outside,

but you cannot control

how they feel

on the inside.

You cannot control

what other people

think of you.

You cannot control

the global financial markets.

You cannot control

the weather.

You can't control

other drivers on the road.

You can't control

how fast the person

in front of you

is walking.

I wish I could.

You can't control

whether your friends

or your spouse

listens to you or not.

You can't control

your future.

In fact,

there's probably more

outside of your control.

There is more

outside of your control

than you could

possibly imagine.

You can't control

where you were born.

You can't control

who your parents were.

You can't control

your past experiences.

Now, we can seek

to influence

and shape decisions.

That's right.

But thinking

you can control

your destiny

is an illusion.

And you'll become

manipulative,

inflexible,

unloving

if you really believe

that illusion.

You know,

we live life

as if we're

like taking a wild lion

for a walk

on a dog leash.

You know,

and for a while

it seems like,

you know,

he's pretty tame.

I'm managing to do this.

I can handle it.

It's fine.

But you know,

it just takes

one swipe of the paw

of the lion

to realize

that you were never

in control

of that situation.

And you're a fool

if you think

you are really

the master.

Don't walk a lion

out here today

because you're always

sooner or later

going to realize

that you're not

in control.

Pharaoh thought

he was.

If he'd realized

sooner that he wasn't,

just think how much

hassle it would have

saved him.

The book of Exodus

would have been

so much shorter.

But,

can I be real

that

many of us

think we can

actually control God

by coming to church,

being nice people,

doing the right things,

putting offering in,

doing all those

good things,

and then we expect

him to answer

our prayers

the way we want

them to be answered,

to fulfill our plans

the way we want

them to be fulfilled,

and then we get

annoyed with God

if he doesn't do

exactly the way

we wanted him to do,

or maybe we just think,

okay, God can't handle,

God, you can do

the little church bit,

my work bit,

I can handle that

because I know

how to deal with that,

you clearly don't.

I've got an education.

I've been on a

training course.

I know how to do it.

Sometimes we say,

God, okay,

you can deal with my

family, but not my work.

Sometimes we say,

okay, God,

you can deal with my work,

but then I'll pursue

unhealthy relationships

because, God,

you can't handle

my relationship status.

I want to be in control

of that.

But the thing is,

you're not the Lord,

the controller of your work.

You're not the Lord

of your family.

You're not the Lord

of your relationships.

He is.

He is.

And that's the second thing

we need to remember.

So the first,

you're not in control.

The second thing is,

God is great,

and he is in control.

So I don't have to be.

Christopher Hitchens,

who was a very famous

atheist,

wrote a book called

God is Not Great.

And one of his biggest

gripes against God

was that he saw him

as this kind of

tyrannical dictator.

If he exists,

then he's like

this big brother figure

who kind of is watching

your every step

or kind of slap you

around the face

if you do something wrong.

And he says,

if there is a God,

I wouldn't want to follow him

because he wants to spoil my fun

and make me slaves

just to his own wishes.

And I think Christopher Hitchens

actually said something

which many of us,

even if we're Christians,

would not say,

but actually in our hearts

we think.

Because secretly we fear

not having our hands

on the steering wheel

means that actually

God is not good enough

to steer me in a direction

where he will get

the best for my life.

Only I know how to handle

my problems

to get the best for my life.

And my insecurity

is so obvious

when I don't know

what to do.

Some of you

may be facing situations

where you don't know

what to do at the moment

and it can be terrifying

because we,

and we worry,

and you know what worry is?

Worry is trying to get control

of something you can't control.

It's desperately trying

to get hold of that balloon,

but it's escaping you.

It's the way that we try

and hold on to

what we can't hold on to.

Life,

we think,

can sometimes be out of control,

but it's never out of control.

In this story,

apart from God,

there are two other

kind of mini heroes.

These are the Hebrew midwives.

They could have felt

everything was going wrong

because this maniac pharaoh

seems to be controlling everything.

But at the risk

of their own lives,

they chose to disobey pharaoh.

And normally,

you don't mess

with a control freak

like pharaoh.

But they,

and the Bible,

the Hebrew word says,

they feared God.

That's why their names

are in the story.

We don't actually have

the name of the pharaoh here.

Nobody knows his name

because actually,

the Bible is saying

that these people,

these two midwives

who are named

are the people

who count in God's great plan

because they are walking

in fear of him.

Because you see,

pharaoh feared losing control,

but the Hebrew women

feared God.

They trusted in him

because they knew

there is only one person

who's got the power,

who's got the grace,

who's got the love

to handle this one.

And they could trust him

because he's faithful.

And they knew

that the promise

that he had given

to his people,

he was already fulfilling.

And as they look back,

they could see

he's being faithful,

so he's going to be faithful again,

so we can trust him.

And they didn't know

what was going to happen

as a result of their decision.

They didn't know

what the future

was going to hold.

They didn't even know

whether it was going

to work out okay,

but they said,

I can trust you, God,

because I see

that you're faithful.

And you see what happens?

The midwives

themselves get kids.

Did you read that?

The midwives

get blessed as well,

and they get part of this promise

of blessing,

of multiplication.

God works through

their faithfulness.

The reason we try

and control is fear.

We fear life

is out of control,

but the Bible's message

is for you

and for me

right now.

From the day you were born

to the day you die,

God has got

every single minute,

every single second,

every crisis,

every success,

every situation

in his hands.

I don't know

what you're facing

right now,

but he's got it.

He's got it

in his hands.

There's never been

one moment in your life

where your life

has been out of control.

Now,

I find that hard

because, you know,

I sure feel like

life is out of control

sometimes.

But you know

why I feel like

it's out of control?

It's because it's

out of my control.

It's not out of

his control.

And it's just

when life is not

going the way

I want it to work

according to my plans,

that's when I feel

it's out of control.

But God is saying,

I am great.

My plan is much bigger,

much greater,

much more beautiful.

In fact,

I have plans to bless you,

not to harm you.

Plans to give you

a hope and a future.

And we take that promise

and we say,

okay,

I've got plans

to bless my plans,

plans to give me

a hope for my future

with everything

that I want to do.

And he says,

no,

no,

no,

my plans are better

than your plans.

And God being in control

doesn't mean we kind of

sit back and say,

well,

God's in control.

I don't have to go to work.

Okay?

I don't have to feed myself.

You know,

leave the chopsticks there,

they'll kind of magically

food will come into my mouth.

You know,

a farmer

goes out to sow

seed

because that's his job.

but he knows

that the growing

of the crops

is out of his hands.

His job is to plant the seed.

He doesn't control the weather.

He's not in control

of the results.

He's just faithful

with what he's got.

If there's no God,

the world is a scary place

and you have to grasp

for control

or you'll go insane.

But unlike Christopher Hitchens

says,

there is a God

who is in control,

who's not a dictator

and he's your heavenly father.

More than that,

he's got a plan

which is for your good

and for his glory

and it's much better

than you could imagine.

You see,

in the story,

Pharaoh

tried to control everything.

But God

had a bigger idea.

Chapter 2,

you see,

a baby is born

into an Israelite family

and the very plan

that Pharaoh had used

to try and control

the Israelites

is the very plan

that God uses

to actually bring

a deliverer

who is Moses

who hides him

in a basket.

He's then taken

by the Pharaoh's daughter

and he is basically

protected

from the Pharaoh

by being brought

into Pharaoh's own house

right under the nose

of Pharaoh

and he's the one

that God is going to use

to deliver his people.

Now,

would you have planned that?

I don't think

if I had planned the story,

I would have planned that

that way.

But God has a bigger plan

that he's working out.

You see,

when God's in control,

you see,

he's doing something

so much bigger.

Moses wasn't the only one

who was a deliverer

in Egypt.

You see,

1,000,

1,500 years later,

there was another

control freak

called Herod

who also tried

to control

God's plans

by killing

baby boys

in Bethlehem.

but there was

one baby boy

who God

gave a dream

to his parents

and told them

to escape

to Egypt

because God

was going to make

this baby boy

a deliverer

and a rescuer

like no other.

You see,

Herod could not

have imagined

this plan

but God knew

what he was up to

all the time

because that baby boy

was Jesus.

Jesus,

the one

who in Philippians

it says,

didn't grasp

hold of control

to stay

kind of seizing

power for himself

but he humbled himself,

made himself a servant

and came to serve us

by dying on a cross,

taking that judgment

that control freaks

like Pharaoh deserve

and like you and me

deserve

so that we could enjoy

relationship with our Father

knowing that he

is in control

and we don't have to be.

We don't have

a tyrannical God.

We have a God

whose love

is endless

for you

and for me

and if he's loving

and if he's in control,

why do we so

want to hold on

to control?

you don't replace

an idol

of control

by stopping

trying to be

in control.

You replace it

by seeing

that Jesus

is the ultimate

one

who has died

for you,

gave up his life

for you

and you

can trust

him

because he's good

and as you walk

in trust

of him,

your faith

in him

will grow

because he always,

always,

always keeps

his promises.

I don't know

what's happening

in your life

right now

but there will be

things this week

where you

are going to be

tempted

to grasp hold

of and to stress,

to get angry,

to get frustrated,

to be manipulative,

to give people

a silent treatment,

to be critical.

You're going to be

tempted in all

of these ways

and God says,

listen,

will you trust

me who's got

this situation

better than you

have it?

If you're not

a Christian,

your whole life

in some way

or other

is basically

trying to be

in control.

It may seem

to work for a while

but like that lion,

the lion of life

is not tame.

it's on your

shoulders

the whole of life.

That is a heavy

weight to bear

and it may not

just be you

but it may be

the people around

you who suffer

the consequences

of your control.

God's call

for you

is to respond

today

and to repent

which means

to say,

God,

I've tried

to take control

of my life.

Forgive me.

I've tried

to do your job

which is only

job that you

can do

but I want

you to be

my Lord.

I don't want

to be the one

who is Lord

of all of my life

because I can't

save myself.

Some of you

need to pray

that today.

Some of us

are Christians.

Some of us

think we're

Christians

because we

come to church

but if we're

to look at

our lives,

your finger marks

are all over

every part

of your life.

You allow

God into

one closet

in your heart

but the rest

of your house

is your domain

to rule

and to reign.

You don't want

God to drive

your car

because you're

afraid he's

going to mess

up your plans.

He's going

to ruin

your life

and let me

tell you,

God will

ruin your plans

but he's got

a better one.

He's got

a better one

and the reason

sometimes

that for me

Jesus doesn't

thrill me,

the reason

why

if I ask

you

honestly

and me

honestly

do I

overflow

with a love

and a peace

and a contentment

in Christ

at the moment.

One of the reasons

why if I asked

your colleagues,

if I asked

your family,

do you see

Christ working

in their life

in a joy-filled

way?

One of the reasons

why in some areas

of our lives

we might have to

honestly say

I'm not sure

that I do

is because

I've tried

to keep hold

of it

for myself

and I'm not

a very good

dictator of my life

and God's call

for me

and God's call

for you

is to repent,

to lay down

those areas

where you

are trying

to hold on

and find

your security,

your identity

in what you

can do

to fix

your life.

God's not

interested in

making your

plans work out.

Sorry,

He's not.

But He's got

a better plan

and His plan

is always

for your good.

It's always

for your good,

your joy.

It's always

for your peace.

It's always

so that you

will experience

blessing.

So will you,

I don't know

what that area

is in your life,

just think

what is the areas

I have been

frustrated in

this week?

That may be

the area

you need to

open your closet

and say,

God,

I surrender

this to you.

I want to

trust you.

Help me to

trust you

in this area

of your life.

I have a

short video

that I want

to show you

which I think

demonstrates

some of how

this works.

I need

for you.

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will jump

out of

the moment

where

and

have

you

who

ress

home

to

example,

that I

could ride

from the

side of the

or?

I can't see you

if you're

listening to me

I'll be

at a little

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Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

You say that after me.

God is great.

Come on.

It's not too long.

You can cope.

God is great.

God is great.

So I do not have to be in control.

I want you to be in control.

I want you to close your eyes with me.

And I want you to think in your life right now.

Where are the areas where I'm afraid to let God, well, have the control that he already has.

Where am I trying to get hold of that steering wheel and not let him be the one who leads and guides me?

I don't know what God has for you.

I don't know what God has for you.

Sometimes life can be tough.

It was for the Israelites.

But God is working something far greater.

If you trust him, you will see his plan working amazing.

Let's just pray for a minute.

Let's just pray for a minute.

Let's just pray for a minute.

I think we need to repent in some areas.

Father, I just admit that actually, I don't think I'm a control freak.

But there are so many areas of my life where I am.

And when I try and take hold of things, it actually hinders me from enjoying my childlike relationship with my father who I know, who I know loves me and will provide.

I pray for all of us here, Lord.

I pray for some people here who really wonder whether God can be trustworthy.

Things have happened in life which have been tough.

You've had to work your way through things.

Maybe you feel like you've been successful.

And you've been able to do it by yourself.

So why do I need to trust God?

Lord, I pray, Lord, for those of us who think that, Lord, you would show us the damage we do to other people, Lord, when we try and take control.

Lord, show us that your way to trust you enables us to love people, love our kids, love our families, love our colleagues, love our friends, love the people around us in so much greater ways than if we have to be the one who sorts it all out.

Father, thank you that you are faithful.

Please help us to remember that this week as we go.

In your name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.