Grow in Thankfulness

ME: Intro

During Thanksgiving dinner this past week,

Something occurred to me that I kinda already knew,

But this just reinforced it.

My family loves cruises.

My one aunt has had a well paying work from home job since I was a kid.

So, she brings her work stuff with her and goes on several cruises a year.

My dad and stepmom went on a cruise a few weeks ago for their 2 year anniversary/late honeymoon.

Then my aunt and uncle were at the dinner table talking about the cruise they are planning on taking just a few days after Christmas.

I know many of you enjoy a good cruise as well.

Did you know you can book a cruise on the Mediterranean Sea?

What a beautiful cruise that would be.

Some of the scenery is just stunning,

It is one of the most historical regions in the world,

And the boats that cruise the Mediterranean are very luxurious.

You will not find a cruise package called the “everything goes wrong” option.

Where you sleep through your alarm,

Get in the shower and you are out of hot water,

Go downstairs to see that your dog got sick in the night and threw up,

Get in the car and the gas light is on,

On the way to the cruise,

You get stuck in traffic,

Then get a flat tire.

You get on the boat and forgot your motion sickness pills.

None of the destination excursions are available because of weather.

But you keep getting seasick after every time you try and eat.

So, you make the mistake of mentioning that your throat has been a little scratchy,

And you get a false positive COVID test,

So, you spend the rest of your time on the boat in quarantine.

Thank you for purchasing our “everything goes wrong” package.

We hope you sail with us again real soon!

We all have these moments where it just seems like everything goes wrong.

It can happen on a vacation,

It can happen in our every day life.

It can seem to last for a day.

Sometimes, it seems to lasts for weeks!

This morning, we are in Acts 27-28:16.

In this, the Apostle Paul sails across the Mediterranean,

And his trip is even worse than the everything goes wrong package,

Because his trip is a life-threatening journey for himself and everyone else sailing with him.

Yet, Paul is able to give thanks to God while everything seems to be going wrong

He is able to give thanks because of his ever-growing faith.

And his faith grows because God’s Word Grows Faith.

So, the outline for our passage this morning begins with Paul...

Slide

Heading to Rome (27:1-12)

Hopeless at Sea (27:13-44)

Hospitable Natives (28:1-10)

Home Sweet Rome (28:11-16)

God gives us His Word. So, have the faith to give Him thanks.

God’s Word that moves the narrative this morning,

Came back in Acts 23:11.

Paul was under Roman custody in Jerusalem,

Alone in prison,

When Jesus showed up and promised Paul that Paul would testify to the facts about Him in Rome,

Just as he had done in Jerusalem.

2 years after that,

Paul was still in prison.

After Paul appealed to have his case heard by Caesar,

He is sent by ship to Rome.

Slide

So, ch. 27 is the detailed travel itinerary of Paul’s journey to Rome.

Along the way he stops on the island of Crete.

From there, his vessel gets shipwrecked by a great storm on a small island called Malta just south of Sicily.

After that, it takes about three months for Paul to finally arrive in Rome.

Prior to this, most of Acts moves at a quick pace,

With Paul moving from place to place.

But now, this final journey slows down greatly.

Drawing us into the drama of the story.

The details of this journey could only be written by a firsthand witness,

And that is exactly what Luke, our author is.

(27:1-12)

He begins by including himself in the narrative,

It was decided that we, he says, should sail for Italy.

So, Paul, some other prisoners, Julius the centurion of the Imperial Regiment, and Paul’s companions will embark on this journey.

Julius ends up playing a vital role on this journey.

He embodies this mystery of God’s sovereignty and human responsibility,

As he is used by God for Paul’s survival along the way.

Slide

Much of the chapter uses nautical language because of how much of this chapter details Paul sailing to Rome.

Vs. 2 says they will be sailing on a ship from Adramyttium.

The route it was taking was a grain trade route,

So, this was likely a small grain ship.

Luke says they put out to sea.

Paul, himself,

And Aristarchus, the Macedonian from Thessalonica.

We had met Aristarchus earlier in Acts.

But both Luke and Aristarchus are also mentioned as accompanying Paul in Colossians 4.

Their presence here allows them to serve as additional witnesses for this trip.

Slide

In Sidon,

An eastern Mediterranean port in modern day Lebanon,

One of the things Luke witnesses is how Julius treats Paul with kindness.

So, in Sidon, an eastern Mediterranean port in modern day Lebanon,

Julius allowed Paul to go to his friends to receive their care.

These friends would almost certainly be Christians,

And Acts does not tell us when or how Christians got to Sidon.

But this teaches us that Acts is not an exhaustive narrative of the early church.

There was a lot of Christian growth and spreading happening in addition to what Acts tells us.

We see this demonstrated later in our passage as well.

Slide

Vs. 4-12 is where we really start to see the slow progress these travelers make.

This journey was difficult, to say the least.

There were many delays, redirections, and stops.

I tried to zoom in the map as much as I could.

But if you look in the bottom right,

The red arrow begins a Caesarea.

That is where Paul was in prison.

Then Sidon, is just above it.

Now, vs. says they had to sail under the lee of Cyprus because the strong winds were against them.

Cyprus is that island next to the red arrow,

And as you can hopefully see,

They sailed close to the eastern point,

Because it protected them from the wind.

These big blue arrows in the middle of the sea show how the wind would be blowing at this time of year.

Vs. 5 says they got around Cyprus,

Sailed through some open sea,

And came to Myra of Lycia.

Myra was an important port for grain transport between Alexandria and Rome.

So, if they stayed on their smaller ship, it would have been a bit out of their way.

Therefore, in vs. 6, Julius found a larger Alexandrian ship that would take a more direct route,

For them to sail aboard.

Now, some of the most dangerous times to sail the Mediterranean was from mid-September to mid-November.

Shortly after that, the waterways would close until February.

Well, this journey was smack dab in the middle of that danger time,

About mid-October.

So, vs. 7 says they were forced to sail slowly for several days due to the danger.

They were sailing up toward the coast of Cnidus,

Which is on the edge of this yellow province.

But the wind kept them from approaching,

So, they were pushed back down toward the southern side of the island of Crete.

Vs. 8 continues to describe how it did not get any easier for them.

They continued sailing along the southern coast of Crete,

Coming to a small port called Fair Havens in about the center of the island.

Because Fair Havens was a smaller port,

And the way the island curves,

It left the port exposed to the open sea and the winds,

So, it was not a very suitable place to stay for the winter.

Just a little northeast on the island is a larger port called Phoenix,

Where a jut out of the island helps to protect it for the winter.

Slide

But Luke tells us how dangerous it is to try and make the trip to Phoenix,

Because, he says in vs. 9, the Fast was already over.

He is talking about the fast from the Day of Atonement which took place in the fall.

He is saying, the fall is over,

Winter is already here.

So, it would be hazardous to make the trip to Phoenix.

Paul says it is too late,

Winter is here,

And advises Julius to stay in Fair Havens for the winter,

Warning him that this voyage is headed for disaster.

They will lose a lot,

Not just cargo,

But lives will be lost.

Slide

Julius did not listen to Paul.

Understandably, in vs. 11,

He ignores the advice of his prisoner,

Instead deciding to pay more attention to the captain and owner of the vessel,

Who seem to suggest that they need to go in spite of the possible danger.

Slide

Vs. 12 presents the decision that the majority of the ship agreed to.

However, the crew will soon regret ignoring Paul’s advice,

As the strong winds prevent them from ever reaching Phoenix.

And later, Julius shows how he learned from the mistake of ignoring Paul here.

WE: (27:13-44)

Vs. 13-44 show his this crew becomes Hopeless at Sea.

Slide

Vs. 13 begins with the circumstances being in their favor.

A gentle south wind was their chance to get out of Fair Haven,

And be pushed toward Phoenix for the winter.

So, they pulled up the anchor and set sail staying close to the shore of Crete.

But very quickly they learned that their circumstances betrayed them.

Their faith was in something unstable and chaotic,

Rather than having faith in God despite the circumstances around them.

Vs. 14 says that the gentle wind turned into a fierce northeaster.

They are essentially drawn into a typhoon in the middle of open sea.

Luke wants us to understand how terrifying this truly was.

He adds detail upon detail of all the efforts they made to save themselves,

Showing how desperate they all truly were,

And the hopelessness that resulted.

Vs. 15 starts with them succumbing to the fact that they could not drive the boat,

They were simply along for the ride.

So, in vs. 16, they hide behind a small island called Cauda for a brief reprieve from the wind.

And they seem to secure the boat.

Although it was not easy.

Slide

Boats were often prepared with extra ropes to secure the ship during violent storms like this.

So, now that they had some control over the ship.

Vs. 17 says they took this opportunity to wrap the boat with ropes.

They essentially took the strongest ropes they had,

And went around the boat so the ropes could help hold the boat together.

But they knew they did not have complete control over the boat.

And they were afraid they would run aground on the Syrtis,

A region of sands near modern-day Libya and Tunisia.

So, they slowed the ship down by lowering the sails,

And lowering a drift anchor,

As the wind pushed them through this region.

Slide

There was seemingly no end to this violent storm.

So, vs. 18 says,

The next day, they began to throw things overboard,

Hoping that lightening the load will help them survive this storm.

They were essentially throwing their money off the ship,

But they did not know what else to do to survive.

Two more days of violent storms,

They continue to throw things overboard.

Luke mentions how they used their own hands to throw the tackle overboard,

Because they were just so desperate.

Are you starting to get a sense of the danger,

The desperation,

The hopelessness this crew is experiencing?

That is what these details are aiming to do.

At this point the only thing left on the ship is grain,

Which they kept because they were eating it for survival.

Slide

Despite all their desperation,

The hopelessness reaches a climax in vs. 20.

The storm was so intense,

They could not see the sun or stars or moon.

They were overtaken by the darkness in a very literal sense,

But also in a figurative way as well.

They could not chart their location,

They had no idea where they were.

I want to pause for a moment to put ourselves in their shoes.

Imagine how terrifying.

Being in the open sea,

During a hurricane,

Unable to see your surroundings,

Unsure of where you even are.

There is no where to escape,

Seemingly no chance for survival.

This is where the crew finds themselves.

And as this severe storm just keeps raging on,

All hope that they would be saved was fading.

Slide

I wonder as I read this,

If Luke is also using the symbolism of the sea from the OT to also serve as this theological background.

In the OT, the sea was often used as a symbol of violent chaos.

Luke’s intense description of a seemingly hopeless situation is a dark backdrop against the light of faith displayed by Paul in the verses that follow.

In vs. 21, the crew is so hopeless that they seem to have given up eating.

Then Paul speaks up at this lowest point,

With an incredible confidence.

It is because he is confidence in God’s Word,

Even in the face of the darkest, most chaotic circumstances in this world.

So, Paul begins by essentially saying,

“I told you so! You should have listen to me! If you did what I say, we would not be in this mess!”

Just in case they had forgotten that Paul said to stay in Fair Havens..

But Paul is not just speaking up to reprimand or condemn them.

No, he goes on in vs. 22,

To encourage the crew,

Saying, none of them will lose their lives,

They will only lose this ship.

Slide

How does Paul know this?

Because, he says in vs. 23,

An angel of God appeared to him and told him not to be afraid,

Reminding him that he is going to appear before Caesar,

And God, in His kindness, grace, and mercy,

Will save everyone on the ship along with Paul.

God’s plan would not be thwarted because these people failed to take Paul’s advice.

But also, do not overlook the fact that Paul is a human just like us.

He was experiencing fear from the seemingly hopeless situation alongside everyone else on the ship.

Sure, if you asked him if he remembered what Jesus promised him,

He would say yes.

But clearly, in that moment,

He was afraid.

And God sent him an angel to encourage him,

And to reinforce God’s Word to him.

As a result, Paul still had faith while having fear.

Slide

But by the time Paul is speaking to his shipmates,

He has a renewed confidence,

Expressing faith in God,

And telling them what will happen next.

Because God’s Word grew Paul’s faith.

Even in a seemingly hopeless situation.

Slide

Now the sailors know they are going to run aground at some point.

So, after two weeks,

Vs. 27 says,

The ship was drifting across the ancient Adriatic Sea,

And at night they suspected they were approaching land.

So, vs. 28 says they took a sounding.

A sounding uses anchor weights along measured ropes that they drop in the water until they hit the sea floor.

Once they hit the floor,

They would raise the anchor and move the ship,

Then they would repeat the process.

So, based off their sounding,

We see they were at first 20 fathoms deep,

Which is about 120 feet.

Then after they moved the ship for the second sounding,

They found that the sea floor was 15 fathoms deep,

Which is about 90 feet.

Slide

So, they knew they were approaching land at a pretty fast pace.

Since it was night time,

They could not see the land,

So, they decided to be extra cautious and take the unusual action of dropping 4 anchors,

To keep them from potentially crashing into any rocks,

And wait until daylight came.

So, vs. 29 says they dropped the anchors from the back of the boat,

Rather than the front of the boat,

To keep the boat from spinning around.

In vs. 30, some of the sailors know that land is close.

And at this point the anxiety and strain of drifting through a stormy sea for two weeks,

Is too much for them.

So, instead of just waiting for morning to come,

They selfishly decide they had enough,

And they try to escape on the lifeboat.

Their frantic fear displayed here contrasts greatly against the full faith in God displayed by Paul.

Slide

Paul’s faith seemed to have a calming presence.

And Julius has much more confidence in Paul now.

So, this time,

When he tells Julius that they will not survive if these panicked sailors escape.

Julius listens,

And has his soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboat,

Letting it drop into the sea.

It is not hard to imagine how Paul’s faith in God amid this hopeless situation impacted Julius in some way.

But regardless of what might have been going on in Julius’ heart.

God’s sovereignly worked through Julius to fulfill His Word to Paul.

Slide

Paul’s calming presence seemed to grow his influence.

Remember, the people were so hopeless that they had not eaten for 14 days.

But Paul’s faith in God had grown so much by God’s Word,

That he encourages everyone to eat.

Telling them that not a hair from their head will perish.

God was sovereign over the details of the ship.

He was even sovereign over the details of every person’s life.

He has always been sovereign over the details,

And He always will be.

So, give God thanks for giving us His Word.

Because His Word grows our faith.

Slide

That is what Paul demonstrates here.

His faith has grown because God gave him His Word that they all would survive.

So, Paul gives God thanks as he ate,

And encouraged his shipmates to eat as well.

Again, sovereignly guaranteed the survival of all the people,

But He uses Paul to feed them all so they do not starve.

And by giving God thanks,

Paul is demonstrating publically,

He growing faith in God amid the storm that battered these sailors to the point of hopelessness,

And this was an encouragement to them.

We don’t know that the 276 people on the ship became Christians.

But Paul’s faith in God was so assuring to them,

That after eating,

They threw the rest of the food overboard,

Because they were confident that they were getting to shore the next day alive,

Just as Paul’s God had promised.

This ship of 276 people had gone from hopelessness,

Lost in utter darkness,

To now sharing a meal together,

Then getting rid of the last of their food because of a man’s faith in God.

That is the power of faith in God’s Word,

So, we give God thanks for giving us His Word.

Slide

By the next day,

The ship was badly damaged,

It no longer had the lifeboat.

So, the only option left to reach shore,

Was to ground the ship,

Just as God had said to Paul earlier.

Therefore, instead of wasting time by pulling the anchors back in,

They just cut the ropes,

Leaving the anchors in the sea,

Setting themselves up to head full force into the beach.

Slide

You can actually visit the bay on the island of Malta where this shipwreck occurred.

It is called St. Paul’s Bay.

As you can see by the picture,

First of all, it is a beautiful vacation destination.

God, shipwrecked them at one of the most beautiful islands they could have crashed at.

But secondly, notice the sand dunes in the water,

And the rocky jut outs,

And the narrow passageways.

All these years later,

The description in Acts matches perfectly with this beach.

Vs. 41-42 say that the ship strikes wither a reef or a sandbar back out by the rocks.

So, now the front of the boat is stuck,

While the back was still sticking out in the deeper waters,

Breaking to pieces from the pounding of the waves.

Now that Julius knows that Paul is not just any prisoner,

He does not follow the Roman protocol.

Instead, he saves Paul and keeps his soldiers from killing any of the prisoners.

Having those who could swim to jump overboard and swim to this beach.

While the rest followed on debris from the ship.

And, ch. 27 ends with everyone making it safely to shore!

GOD: Hospitality & Miracles (28:1-10)

Now that all of them are on this tiny little island called Malta,

Ch. 28 begins with them meeting hospitable locals.

Slide

Malta was also called Melita in the ancient world.

It literally means “a place of refuge.”

It was settled by Phoenicians around 1000 BC.

About three hundred years later,

The Greeks possessed it,

And about another 500 years later,

It was taken over by Rome.

It is a very small island,

Only about 8 or 9 miles wide,

And 17-18 miles long.

It is located only about 60 miles south of Sicily and 180 miles northeast of Cyrene in North Africa.

In vs. 2, we see the locals show extraordinary kindness,

Lighting a fire and taking all the people out of the cold rain.

Slide

Shortly thereafter, Paul was gathering sticks for the fire,

And gets bitten by a snake.

Now back in Mark 16:18, Jesus said His disciples would pick up serpents with their hands,

And it will not hurt them.

But I have my doubts that this is what Jesus had in mind.

What it seemed is that Jesus was saying that opposition of this world cannot harm His disciples in an eternal sense.

But Paul literally picked up a serpent here that was most likely stiff and motionless in the sticks.

Slide

The scene seems almost comical.

Paul standing there,

With a snake dangling from his hand by its fangs.

Some have argued that this was not a poisonous snake because present day Malta does not have poisonous snakes.

But a lot can change in about 2000 years.

Because the locals,

Who know the land

Thought Paul was going to die.

But here are these people,

Who see a guy that just survived a shipwreck,

Now die by a snakebite.

So, they make a snap judgment based off circumstances.

They have no doubt that Paul is a murderer,

Saying Justice, a Greek goddess,

Had not allowed Paul to live.

And Paul just shook it off into the fire.

But in vs. 5,

Paul just shook it off into the fire,

And was unharmed.

Slide

The locals were understandably surprised in vs. 6 when Paul did not just swell up and die.

In fact, they kept waiting and waiting and waiting.

And when nothing happened,

They quickly changed their mind.

Being the superstitious bunch that they were,

They went from thinking Paul was a murderer being killed by a goddess,

To quickly deciding that Paul was a god.

Paul, however, does not accept this praise,

In fact, he seems to shake it off and move on just as quickly as he did when the snake bit him.

Slide

The locals were very hospitable,

Albeit a little judgmental,

When the survivors first arrived.

But in vs. 7,

We learn this hospitality is a reflection of their leader,

Publius, the chief man.

Historical records show that Octavius Augustus installed a Roman governor on Malta,

Once Malta was conquered by Rome.

Inscriptions from the island talk about a chief man over all the municipality of Malta.

This is very similar to the description we are given of Publius.

So, it would make sense that Publius was the Roman governor.

But it is also possible that he is simply a leading citizen.

Either way, he was very hospitable to Paul and the other visitors.

He was generous and gracious in his treatment of them.

Which is interesting because Paul never received hospitality like this from unbelieving Jews along his travels.

Even though the OT law teaches Jews to treat foreigners well,

Based upon their background as foreigners in Egypt.

The law demanded that they welcome their poor fellow Jews,

Like Paul,

Into their homes.

Even entire cities were established to be places of refuge.

And yet, here is this Roman governor,

Operating as a chief of this small island,

Displaying greater hospitality to Paul as a prisoner,

Than unbelieving Jews ever showed to Paul, their fellow Jew.

You know this idea of hospitality is not just some archaic OT law.

Jesus taught that hospitality must extend beyond the confines of the home.

Jesus used hospitality to illustrate the way He and God receive those of us who ask Him.

He Himself demonstrated hospitality toward the needy;

He fed the hungry, quenched the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, cared for the sick, and visited the imprisoned.

And this teaching continued into the NT letters.

Christians are taught to pursue hospitality without grumbling.

Because at its most basic understanding,

Hospitality is stranger-love.

It is showing love to both neighbors and strangers.

Slide

But Publius’ hospitality is especially noteworthy,

Because we find out in vs. 8,

That his father is sick with a fever and dysentery.

Modern historians describe an ancient illness that sounds familiar called Malta fever.

It is believed that Malta fever was caused by drinking impure milk from Maltese goats.

It would cause repeated feverish attacks.

So, Paul goes to this man with a similar sounding condition,

Prays over him, then lays hands on him,

And it says he is healed.

Once the locals saw this,

The rest of the people on the island who had diseases started to come,

And it says they were healed too.

Slide

So, the locals send Paul off with one final demonstration of hospitality.

Vs. 10 says, they honored Paul and his companions greatly.

Now, it is interesting to note,

There is nothing in this account that says Paul shared the gospel on Malta.

Which is interesting because Luke always mentions when the gospel is preached throughout Acts.

So, why is there nothing here?

Well, on one hand, we could simply assume that Paul almost certainly shared the gospel.

But on the other hand,

What is recorded about Paul here on Malta reflects the ministry of Jesus in the gospels.

Brian Vickers argues:

“By now proclamation is always implied, and [Luke] is placing Paul firmly in the gospel-ministry pattern set by Jesus and the other apostles.”

This means then, that these verses are far more than just the miracles themselves.

In the context of Jesus’ ministry,

And the apostles’ ministry,

It shows the continuation of the power and testimony of the good news of the gospel.

It shows how despite many days amid a storm at sea,

Despite being shipwreck,

And suffering a snakebite,

Paul continued to minister,

He continued to show stranger-love.

I mean, none of us would have bat an eye if Paul wanted to take some time off to rest on the beaches of Malta.

But Paul had an opportunity to help someone who was sick.

So, he took it.

In fact, the entire account of the Island of Malta was a reciprocation of hospitality.

The locals ministered to those who were shipwrecked,

Paul ministered to them through healing,

And they ministered back to Paul by honoring him before his departure.

When they leave,

Luke does not mention that anyone believes,

But he shows how they clearly left a good impression on the locals.

YOU: (28:11-16)

Let us quickly wrap up in vs. 11-16 with Paul’s final stretch of travel to get to Home Sweet Rome.

Slide

Paul likely departs in February,

Maybe early March.

It says, they take an Alexandrian ship with the twin gods,

Castor and Pollux,

The sons of Zeus.

It was common to have the twin gods related to sea travel,

Because many sailors regarded them as the gods of seafarers,

That they protect ships, provide good winds, and help shipwrecked sailors.

But their inclusion here is a bit of irony.

Because it was God who had protected Paul and everyone on that previous ship,

And God who would see them safely the rest of the way to Rome.

Because God gave His Word that He would get Paul to Rome,

And it grew Paul’s faith.

Slide

Notice now the relative ease of the rest of this trip,

As several stops are listed over the next several verses.

First, in vs. 12, they stop at Syracuse,

Which was simply a port city on the eastern side of Sicily,

Then Rhegium, another port city on the southern end of Italy.

Then Puteoli, an important shipping harbor in the grain trade from Egypt to Rome,

About 130 miles southeast of Rome.

Slide

Then, in vs. 14,

It says, all the way up in Puteoli,

They found brothers and sisters!

Somehow, the gospel has already spread incredibly far from Jerusalem,

To this harbor that is not far from Rome.

We do not know how these disciples got here,

Just like we do not know how Christians first came to Rome.

Either way,

The gospel has already travelled throughout the Mediterranean,

All the way up to the capital of the Roman Empire,

The political, social, and cultural center of the known world.

In a metaphorical sense,

It reached the ends of the earth.

But it is still continuing today,

To reach the ends of the earth.

Slide

More believers come down the Appian Way to the small towns of Forum and Three Taverns,

To greet Paul and encourage him before his arrival in Rome.

Then, our passage ends this morning in vs. 16,

With Paul arriving in Rome,

Being placed under house arrest with a Roman guard,

Where he was allowed to host friends and other guests,

Who he could be hospitable to,

Including Roman Jews.

So, our passage ends with Paul under Roman custody,

And nothing said about the conclusion of his case.

But this also ends all the “we” sections in the Bible.

So, this means it may be the last time that Luke,

Slide

The author is with him.

WE: Conclusion

We can only imagine the thanks Paul gave to God upon arriving to Rome,

Which God have His Word to Paul would happen.

We saw how along the way,

God’s Word grew Paul’s faith,

So, that Paul had the faith to give God thanks,

Even when everything else seemed hopeless.

That is our application from this passage.

God has likewise given us His Word,

Which grows our faith.

So, as we celebrated this past week,

Have the faith to give Him thanks for giving us His Word.

Even if the chaos of this world makes circumstances seem hopeless.

Please join me in thanking God in prayer.