everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving make every single concern you have a request known to God and as a result the peace of God which can’t be put into a mathematic equation it’s beyond all comprehension we’ll guard our hearts and Minds in Christ Jesus so take the thing we’ve given to you now and we’ll receive more from you as your word spoken and your spirit illuminates in the name of Jesus amen amen it’s good to be back and kids I know you’re leaving right now

but have a great time I’m not sure how it could be better where you’re going but it it is really good here and I while they’re making their way out of the room let me just say something to you who were here in the room last week or joining us from other other places as many of you do on Sundays and in the days following last week was a super treat y’all I I watched and I I told Rob this morning that it was it was

truly outstanding I don’t listen to sermons twice I really don’t listen to mine twice but his was a keeper his was a winner and it rang the bell in lots of our lives and Rob thank you thank you I I really meant it and actually if if you see me taking more vacation it’s because of Rob I want I want you to know but Rob thank you very much sir and worship team you’re you’re amazing we’ve been stretched lately because we’re trying to make adjustments to

sound and things like that and there’s a rockstar team I hate comparing them to rock stars because I I don’t like rock stars but so they’re better than rock stars but they’re they’re the ones pulling this thing off and they’re getting the technical Gremlins out of the system and that kind of thing so thank you all huge shout out to you again you you guys are amazing the visible ones here and the invisible ones back here so all of us are benefiting from the blessing of

their Ministry I want to talk actually a continuation on the word peace you see it in my title powerless today yet at peace and most people would put that in a what we would call an oxymoron expression you can’t be powerless and still be at peace you you can’t be at peace and not have your questions answered as Rob addressed last week and can I just tell you something we didn’t we didn’t w wow to make sure these messages fit this is the holy spirit doing

this and he does it all the time the worship that we sing I hear about it sometimes I have input to it but most of the time I show up and I’m enjoying it fresh like you are and and I’m amazed how often it’s like relevant City I mean it touches my heart it it matters so but I I’m thinking about you know powerless yet at peace and that that’s my title this morning so I want to start by asking you a question that’s not a

comfortable one for you to answer it’s way easier to ask but here’s the question what do you do when you’re not in control cry cry sure it’s maybe tears of frustration tears of fear cry out call out to God it’s I mean I’m not hearing anybody push back on my my sentence what do you do when you’re not in control I’m not I haven’t heard anybody say but I’m always in control dude you know rebuke you you know no the fact is we know what it’s

like to not be in control the feeling comes usually with a disquieting development and it happens almost without exception without notice it’s kind of another way of saying you’re on a stroll with your sweetheart walking down the beach and suddenly in Oregon and you don’t even remember turning your back on the ocean because we’re warned again and again don’t do that but suddenly what happens what is that wave called a sneaker wave and it’s almost like it sees a Target on you and just comes straight

at you everybody else is standing but you are flattened okay that’s a disquieting development and the Very word sneaker wave mean you didn’t see it coming you had no notice no one called you ahead of time said hey bro be careful at about 9:30 this morning at Canon Beach there going to be a big wave no life doesn’t work that way you find yourself looking in that moment for and hoping to find a way forward out of this churning sea that has flattened you but you

you don’t find anything it’s it’s unending if you will I’ll use the word because I think it fits you you feel stuck and you feel you feel helpless as well in that that in that moment and for many in many ways you then almost feel like you have become a prisoner of your own circumstances or situation it’s like who cares how I got into this I’m stuck I can’t get out of it I bet all of us could point to illustrations past and present where where

we were face to face with with our powerlessness big word but a good word I’ll bet we can I don’t rarely ask a question of you that I haven’t thought through myself those past and present situations that I feel powerless to fix to change I won’t ever forget 22 years ago now this month this last month when Debbie and I took our youngest daughter to a hospital and she was rolled out on a gurnie into the pediatric cardiac surgery room and the unit and she was

as a 5-year-old facing heart surgery needed heart surgery something she was born with and I remember the moment that she rolled away from us it was it was a lump in the throat then it was more than that then it still is now because I I remembered the dad and me saying I’m her protector and the mom and Debbie same thing we don’t we would never let that happen and and yet it had to happen and I remember that that day like it like it was

this moment and and it and it marked My Life as a powerless moment for me one man came and sort of delivered me from that moment because I’m trying to be a pastor at the same time I’m a panick father and he came and put his arm around me and he says hey you’re my pastor but today you’re a father be a dad and it’s his fault I fell apart at that moment you know what I mean it was it was tough and I will never

forget it’s only two years ago now but on June 10th 2021 my Debbie was diagnosed with AML and acute myoy leukemia and the a part is acute it means you didn’t see it coming it means it was in every way a sneaker wave you and we were living a normal life and this Uninvited and unexpected Intruder came and it’s it’s acute for another reason it it requires immediate intervention because it’s a very aggressive form of leukemia and it and they did they intervened aggressively and the

whole intervention lasted a year and a half and about a year a little over a year and it and it involved 63 nights in the hospital and 25 blood and platelet transfusions that’s an easy sentence to tell you but it was a powerless feeling and I’ll use words to describe me a helpless feeling many of you many people we know said where can I give my blood can she take Direct transfusion and I’m like well you know we got a there’s some tests there’s some there’s

some things but yes give donations to the Red Cross so because we all felt like what can I do you know even Debbie felt what can I do and then and it really we were powerless again and and it was hard again I want to give you just a suggestion then we’re going to move into the text I’m certain everybody hearing my voice this morning in this room and in other rooms has a heart surgery or a AML leukemia experience you may call it a different

name it was nonetheless a sudden and unexpected development that that really hit you hard and left you feeling helpless and in some cases totally powerless to change anything going on around you and and if that’s your story would you do me a favor actually do yourself a favor I’m going to go home this is they call it in psychological circles this is cathartic for me because I get to share with you something I went through and I feel better only you feel worse sorry maybe not

hopefully you don’t but here’s the deal everybody has something like that and that’s why we need each other that’s why just taking in a message or a song live stream is okay but it’s not enough you need deeper things you need somebody in a life group or in a conversation today at lunch or in Cafe that says to you wow tell me your tell me your powerless surgery or situation okay would you do that would you you don’t have to raise your hand and promise but

would you would you see what it does for you and for the person that you’re that you’re sharing it with J Galatians 62 says bear one another’s burdens and thus fulfill the law of Christ two verses later it says and let each man and woman bear their own load it means don’t don’t become this drain that just hangs on to everybody and shares the story again and again but be engaged in a relationship that says wow that’s huge and and mine’s huge we have something in

common and we’re both interested as my title says in in peace so okay that’s enough of an assignment right at this moment you may be mostly I understand I get it in a stable fairly secure fairly settled place and you may be right now quite different than what I just described you might be very much in control and that’s good and I like it because when things happen according to plan I I feel in control right you know remember the A Team anybody watched going to

admit they watched The A Team back in the 40s I think it was I forget when it was that was a great show and remember their line I love it when a plan comes together who doesn’t love it when a plan comes together but you and I don’t have to live long to feel powerless and the reality is we’re probably powerless to even face some unknown developments that are yet to be discovered swindall has uncomfortably noted and I’m quoting in truth we are powerless so may

I use that as a correction for you if you’re sitting here going that’s I don’t struggle with what he’s talking about yes you swendal is on my side so in truth we are powerless and we always have been powerless our well-being is like a piece of dust in a whirlwind not very secure so as a result to avoid living he continues in constant Terror like when’s the next shoe G to fall we construct an elaborate illusion that says we control our own Destinies you always say

it with a I got it and that look of craz I’m going to do it and some circumstances until some circumstances bring us back to reality and what is that reality the reality is what we’ve been saying we aren’t in control after all So speaking of reality how we view God when our situation is out of control is of utmost importance there’s a lot of people in our world that have concluded God is in fact dead he could fix this he could have caused that wave

to miss me but he didn’t and Rob did a great job describing some things that and he did it honestly things that we all kind of want what tsunami that kills a quarter of a million people what okay a good start is to realize that God has never will you write this down never been taken by surprise I like to say it plainly because I have a background with youth God has never been heard to say say oops they get that except maybe the day he

created cats but anyway I move on so nor listen to me now nor is God incapable of handling anything that comes our way shaped by his clearly established sovereignty and I’m quoting now he is as my friend Glenn SE likes to say the Blessed controller of all things so why is it the word blessed grabs me and pulls me in gently so if you say control it’s it’s like God going I’ve got control get out of here step off but this is a blessed God that

says I’ve got it I’ve got it Jeremiah understood this who can speak and have it happen the words will be on the screen for you who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it Jeremiah or Lamentations 3 verse 37 I don’t know if it’s up there yet not yet okay can I answer the question Jeremiah is asking a question by the way he’s asking it in lamentation after the city has been burned down the wall is down the temple is Smoke

and Ashes okay and in Lamentations chapter 3 he says he asked the question who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it I’ll give you the answer the right answer is no one continuing from there Daniel has a great grasp of God’s control of life’s events when he expressed this praise the name of God forever and ever for he he has all wisdom and power I’m quoting from Daniel chapter 2 he controls the course of world events how timely are those

words today I pause because I I’ve got a process what I just said I’m like whoa he removes Kings and he sets up other kings he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars he reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies where we can’t see it in darkness though he is surrounded by light that’s a god that is gloriously the Blessed controller of all things Sovereign God amen amen would you turn to a Acts chapter 23 where we left off today as

we resume our study it’s a study that’s lasted over a year and it’s coming to a close unless I press rewind or repeat and we start over but kidding that was a joke you should have laughed but you didn’t okay chapter 23 We’ve called it InStep with the spirit this series Acts of the Apostles or as we’ve reverently noted acts of the holy spirit because he came in Chapter 2 and he’s at times very visibly affecting and influencing the outcome of this narrative and we will

witness today how our Sovereign God sustained the Apostle Paul who faced a very uncertain outcome and he sustained him with his peace all right that’s the takeaway so Paul is fresh from his trial that frankly did not turn out well the apostle was remanded because it turned out so poorly he was remanded to protective custody look at verse 10 of chapter 23 he was the dispute of Paul defending himself became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be such a graphic picture Torn to

Pieces by those opposed to him and so he ordered the troops to go down take him away from them by force and bring him into a safe place that’s what the barracks were were okay he was he was he was this was a very divided group and while in the barracks he enjoyed peace and safety right well until it’s learned that there is a conspiracy underway a death squad conspiracy that’s discovered by his nephew Paul’s nephew and the nephew comes to his Uncle Paul in this

barracks and says hey there’s some guys waiting and as soon as you’re released from here they’re going to they’re going to jump you Ambush was the word and they’re going to kill you their mission in fact they’ve taken a vow a strict vow that says we won’t eat or drink until we have accomplished this sedici purpose so his nephew reports all of that in chapter 23 and it’s it’s fascinating it moves very quickly from chap verse 16 Paul’s nephew comes finds this out reports it all

to the commander and he took the young man by the hand Drew him aside verse 19 what’s what’s this you want me to to know and and he tells him and then verse 22 the commander dismisses the young man with this warning don’t tell anyone that you have reported this to me I want you to see verse 23 because it’s a not only a pivoted pivot point in this near narrative but hear me now it is a pivot to the end of Acts verse 23 and

I’ll let your eyes go on your page as I read it then he called two that is the commander called two of his centurions and ordered them get ready a Detachment of 200 soldiers 70 Horsemen and 200 spearmen to go to cesaria that’s a about a 65 70 mile Trek West and North on the Mediterranean Sea in a very volatile place right now he says get these groups together if you’re doing the math quickly some of you do it’s about 470 military men to escort Paul

that’s how serious he took the threat against Paul’s life these guys are going to kill him and so he gathers up these men and and it comes down to three words at the end of verse 23 he gathers all these people to go to cesaria at nine tonight the Apostle Paul the great evangelist to Jews and Gentiles who traveled freely everywhere telling people about the Jesus that Paul had met and who changed his life was for the very first time and it would remain so no

longer free you do not see Freedom again from here to the end of Acts verse 9 at n or verse 23 at 9 p.m. Everything changed so that he was no longer to go to whomever and wherever he felt the Holy Spirit directing him to go if you need proof of that look back at chapter 16 and you’ll see several times where Paul wanted to go to Asia and the Holy Spirit said no go to Europe Asia later not not now that’s a big but from

this point on humanly speaking Paul would never be free to go wherever the Holy Spirit directed him here’s here’s the whole truth I want you to write this down Paul was verse 23 at 900 p.m. Paul was in fact powerless and helpless yet at quiet peace let’s read on provide horses for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix who lived in cesaria he wrote a letter as follows Claudius lissus to his Excellency Governor Felix greetings this man was seized by the Jews

and they were about to kill him but I came with my troops and rescued him for I had learned that he is a Roman citizen I wanted to know why they they were accusing him so I brought him in to their Sanhedrin that Leadership Council I found that the accusation had to do with questions about their law the Torah the Jewish law but there was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment that that would be a Roman charge when I was informed of a

plot to be carried out against the man I sent him to you at once I also ordered his accusers to present to you their case against him so the soldiers carrying out their orders took Paul with them during the night starting at 9:00 p.m. We read that already and brought him as far as an antipatris the next day they let the Cavalry go on with him while they returned to the barracks so a bunch of them headed back home to Jerusalem the rest continued with Paul

to cesaria when they the calvalry arrived in cesaria they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him the governor read the letter and asked what province Paul was from learning that he was from cissa he said okay oky do I will hear your case when your accusers get here then he ordered that Paul run freely and have a good time no here it is that he be ordered they ordered Paul be kept under guard in herod’s Palace 5 days later the high

priest ananas went down to cesaria with some of the elders and a lawyer named tulus by the way when it says go down they’re going from the hill Jerusalem going down heading to the coast and north and they brought their charges against Paul before Felix the governor when Paul was called in Tolus presented his case before Felix quote we’ve enjoyed a long period of Peace under you and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation everywhere and in every way most excellent Felix we acknowledge

this with profound gratitude what a setup I mean this guy’s good he is a lawyer and and his mission was to win the hearing that’s what lawyers do but in order not to we you further I broke the quote back into it I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly we have found this man to be a Troublemaker to stir up riots among the Jews all over the world and he’s a ringleader of this Nazarene sect and even tried to desecrate the

temple so we seized him by examining him you you yourself you will be able to learn the truth about these charges we are bringing against him and today we’re going to finish at verse 9 the other Jews joined in the accusation asserting that these things were in fact true okay so Felix reads a letter there is a statement that makes that begins verse or chapter 24 that I want to focus on the rest of our time about five minutes okay so look back at verse 24

five days later this is Paul chapter 23 ends under guard in haris herod’s Palace very secure location chapter 24 verse1 says five days went by and the high priest came to cesaria to bring their charges against Paul to Felix the governor question have you ever been in a forboding situation let me Define that it’s where you find yourself seized by fearful apprehension maybe it was a trial for you maybe it was a situation you knew it was coming there’s no surprise here you knew it was

coming like Paul he had he didn’t have a watch but he could have kept the watch and gone oh man another day they’re not here yet another day they’re not here yet maybe maybe something’s come up there’s five days of this 5 24s it’s a for boing situation fearful apprehension it’s where you actually in the moment if you put yourself there you begin to fight panic attacks over the possibilities and the possible outcome if you’re struggling to remember I’ll give you a couple from my childhood

actually I won’t give you two I’ll just tell you that there was a long season in high school where I had various run-ins with the principal and other teachers as it turned out one time they am ambushed me all of them showed up in a parent meeting I know that was that was not fair at all but anyway they did and they asked a simple question of all my teachers how I thinking it was just the one teacher that had me kicked out of school but

it was all seven of them showed up and they said how’s Steve doing in your class and you know how how is his behavior how’s it I mean performance and behavior and they said well you know he he’s doing the work he he can get the stuff done but boy he talks a lot and he’s very distracted Ing and very hard to have in class some of you are teachers and you’re going well that is he’s connecting all kinds of dots for me right now I

get that but I was I was when when the meeting adjourned when it was over and my dad’s parting words were we will deal with you at home I had a forboding apprehension right and it wasn’t 5 days it was a few hours but there was this fearful apprehension now my dad was didn’t throw things and he didn’t you know he but it he was Dad and I know this wasn’t going to go well I’m going to use the word trepidation to describe that moment and

it’s where your mouth goes dry and your your knees start to knock and and you’re in you’re in a spot your heart is racing and you desperately search the room for an exit that’s that’s what I mean by for boing so I bring that up for two reasons first I’m sure I’m not the only one please tell me at Cafe today you weren’t the only one okay but I’m I’m sure I’m not the only one to have lived through such a moment but secondly this is

huge there is not a single hint of suggestion clear to the end of Acts that Paul’s mouth was dry or his knees were knocking and not a single shred you’ve got to make it up to find a shred of fearful apprehension from chapter 24:2 to chapter 28:31 remember what I said he’s in shackles probably not but it helps you understand you can’t go anywhere you’re powerless that’s his s situation a very undesirable situation for the rest of the book the one fact that a court reporter

if they had taken notes and released those notes to the public one thing they would most likely all agree on is that though Paul was powerless and helpless to affect a favorable outcome let it be let it be noted he was completely at peace we got to choice to make with that information all of us do we can do what some of us do on a regular base we go that’s a cool story wow good for him and it doesn’t get anywhere near you CU you’re

quite certain it only works in in the case of superstars that’s a possibility you could say that I don’t believe that theology at all but it’s a possibility that that’s how it cuz what do you do with your fearful apprehension this forboding feeling that comes with this the other possibility is that God wants to let this be your story as well a very important man in my life for all my memory was my Uncle Bob and he was a lot like a dad and a godly

man and a great husband just a guy to Mo to emulate right you know that kind of person you go man I just want a scoop or two of him and I was up here and he lived in Southern Cal he’s with Jesus face to face and hanging with my dad so it’s cool but he he was about to have a very very serious open heart surgery one of many he had Different Strokes and heart attacks things like that he’s about to have that and I

called him I’m not sure how he he had a cell phone access in the preop room but I called him and I said Uncle Bob I love you and I’m calling to tell you that God is your refuge and your strength your constant companion in this time of trouble now this is just a phone it wasn’t a FaceTime just the phone and apparently his look got the attention of nurses all gowned up ready to go in preop and they came over to him one in particular

came over to Uncle Bob and said sir I’m she’s looking at his chart you know flipping the pages she goes sir I see that there’s a very serious surgery ahead for you and I’m trying to reconcile that she had had a hint earlier she knew where they were going I’m trying to reconcile that with this where you’re you’ve got a grin from ear to ear you are full of joy we give people powerful medicines at this moment have you ever had one of those to calm

you down I had carpal tunnel that’s surgery I had that done on my wrist and I I’m like give me a double dose doc calm me down she says to Uncle Bob how come this when you’re facing this and he looked at her and reached for her hand because God is my refuge and my strength my constant companion in times of trouble and she said I knew it I knew it she didn’t know Uncle Bob she just knew Christians like you who are up against it

like Paul not going to go free and he had peace in the midst of all of that I want to be that guy I want to be that guy right away and I want to stay that guy every day if this opening statement was any indicator that verse n I I find verse 9 is where we left off today it’s important for this reason the opening argument was just made by turus right we just read that and then the crowd weighed in we’re not told what

verse 9 what the content of verse 9 was but it’s this crowd that says yeah for sure he’s that dude he’s a troublemaker he’s causing problem he’s a ring leader he’s a he he desecrates our Temple he’s Troublemaker Troublemaker trouble troublemaker and Paul’s standing there hearing all this that’s why verse 9 I I rais my voice telling you about verse 9 CU my eyes could see that moment where you’re damned very daming kinds of things presented and if that opening statement was an indicator Paul’s path

from this point on was not going to be easy and was not going to go well to stand trial he knew he knew he would not it would not lead to his freedom it would in fact slowly inexorably lead to Rome someone said Paul knew that he was not in control of his future but thankfully neither were these powerful people whoa Paul points to his secret it’s what you’re wondering right now how do you do that he points to his secret of Peace in powerless situations

in a letter that he wrote many many years later and he was describing a painful problem that he faced I find it curious he never tells details he simply says it hurt and it hurt bad enough to ask repeatedly for God to remove it and I and I cried out to God and I asked him and then I asked him again how many have repeatedly asked God to re remove something to fix something to change this road you’re on sure you have yeah so he called

it a thorn in his flesh it was something something that would be ongoing for the rest of his life presumably and it would be I’m going to suggest it would be the undoing for many people but not for Paul in his own words here’s why three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it from me

Transcript machine-generated from the sermon audio, so it may contain errors. 5,459 words.