YOUR CONDITION IS NOT YOUR CONCLUSION

Scripture Background Read Acts 27:1-44

Acts 27 — King James Version 27 And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus' band. 2 And entering into a ship of Adramyttium, we launched, meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia; one Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us. 3 And the next day we touched at Sidon. And Julius courteously entreated Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself. 4 And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. 5 And when we had sailed over the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia. 6 And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy; and he put us therein. 7 And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over against Salmone; 8 And, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called The fair havens; nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea. 9 Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them, 10 And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives. 11 Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul. 12 And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter; which is an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south west and north west. 13 And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete. 14 But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. 15 And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. 16 And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat: 17 Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven. 18 And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship; 19 And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. 20 And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. 21 But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. 22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. 23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, 24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. 25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. 26 Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island. 27 But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country; 28 And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms. 29 Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day. 30 And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship, 31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved. 32 Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off. 33 And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing. 34 Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you. 35 And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat. 36 Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat. 37 And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls. 38 And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea. 39 And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship. 40 And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore. 41 And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves. 42 And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape. 43 But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land: 44 And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.

Introduction: Is there is a Word from the Lord? Is there a word of encouragement for those who are discouraged, disheartened, afraid, weary, or downtrodden?

In these uncertain days and difficulties times in which we find ourselves living, many of us are faced with difficult situations and challenging circumstances. And it precisely in the midst of times like these that we are tempted to see our current situation as the final chapter of our lives. It precisely during times like these that we think trouble is designed to last forever. So this morning I want to press upon you the notion that your “Condition is Not Your Conclusion.” Your dysfunction is not your destiny. Your current predicament does not have to be your future reality. That is the lesson the Apostle Paul learns in the 27 chapter of the Book of Acts

Encountering the Text In this life you will have haters. Acts 27 describes Paul’s sea voyage to Rome. In the previous chapter, his haters, the king and governor make the determination to refer Paul to the emperor to make an appeal before Caesar. In the current chapter, the decision has been made that and Paul, along with some other prisoners, is being taken to Rome under the supervision of a centurion … named Julius (27:1).1 The amazing thing about Paul’s voyage to Rome is that he boards a ship by the name Adramyttium, headed to Italy not as a freeman but as a prisoner. And it is on this ship that Paul the prisoner ends up ministering to his captors. Did you hear what I said? Paul the prisoner ends up ministering to his captors. · He is not going to Rome on vacation – Paul is prisoner. · He is not travelling on a cruise liner – it is a slave ship. · He is not journeying to experience some recreational adventure – he is on way to stand trial.

You love folks who do not love you. You treat people rightly who treated your wongly. You can go high when your haters go low.

The point is this, if you fix your gaze upon Paul’s condition, you might be tempted to conclude that his is in a no win situation. If you focus on his present condition you will surely lose hope in the possibility of a future deliverance. For at this point in our text, Paul is an innocent man on death row. As he journeys to Italy aboard a ship, he is a prisoner on his way to stand trial. And get a load of this, his trial is being relocated to the jurisdiction of his accusers.

They could not find anything to hang him for in the lower courts, so he is being transported to the higher courts. That’s Paul’s condition – he is a prisoner; he is an innocent man standing trial for a crime that he did not commit. He is being relocated to stand trial for a crime that he did not commit and the trial and is being held in the jurisdiction of his accusers.

Prior to launching out at sea, Paul the prisoner warns his captors that the trip was too dangerous and that lives would be lost. But how many of you realize that evil and arrogant go to together; they refused to listen to Paul so they end up in the midst of a storm and eventually shipwrecked (Source: Faw, C. E. (1993). Acts. Believers church Bible commentary (282). Scottdale, PA: Herald Press).

That’s Paul condition. Either way, it looked like Paul was going to die. Either he was going to be executed by the Romans or he would drown at sea. It was a no win situation. Am I knocked at anybody’s door? Have you ever said, “I am doomed if do and doomed if I don’t”

Have you ever felt like “if ain’t one thing it’s another.” Have you ever said, “I can’t win for losing?” The deck is stacked against Paul. But I have learned that you don’t have to worry about how man stacks the deck if God is dealing the hand.

Man has the power to put you in the storm, but my God is in control of the storm. Paul was a prisoner; that’s his condition. Paul was in the midst of the storm; that’s his condition. Let me suggest some things to keep you from loosing your mind when you are facing difficult conditions.

#1 — YOUR CONDITION MAY FACILITATION YOUR NEXT PROMOTION First let me suggest that your current condition may facilitate your next promotion. What are you saying preacher? Look at Paul! Paul warned them not to take the trip in verse number 10. But they refused to listen to him because he was a prisoner. At this point he had a message, but when the messenger’s position is not respected by the hearers, they reject the messager.

If the devil can cause the world to disrespect the messenger, then they have a justification not to receive the message. That is why the Pharisees and Scribes spent so much time trying to discredit Jesus. If you can discredit the messenger, you don’t have listen to the message.

But look at how God works! Because Paul was a prisoner, they refused to listen to him at the beginning of the chapter. But by the end of the chapter when they realized that Paul was right, Paul gets a promotion. Paul the hostage becomes Paul the helper. Paul the captive on the ship becomes Paul captain of the ship. Paul the slave becomes Paul the savior. Won’t he do it?

Don’t obsess over your condition. Your condition may just be a setup for a promotion. Joseph was in prison that was his condition, but his imprisonment in Egypt facilitated his promotion as the Prince of Egyptian. If he had not been to prison, he would have met the baker who advertised his abilities. If the baker had not advertised his abilities, then he would not of ended in Pharaoh’s house.

If he didn’t end up in Pharaoh’s house, he would not have become the Prince of Egypt. But not only that, Paul had longed to go to Rome to preach the Gospel. But thus far, he had been hindered from doing so. Not only did he long to go to Rome, but I read in Acts 23:11, that God had promised him in a vision that he was going to go to Rome.

Acts 23:11 The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”2

Paul wanted to go to Rome and God promised him that he was going to go to Rome. The devil only made a way for him to go to Rome where he wanted to and God had promised he would go. The devil thought he had Paul. The Romans thought they were controlling Paul. But it was God who was using the Romans to get Paul to the place where he could be used by God.

Paul’s trip to Rome "was determined by the counsel of God, before it was directed by the counsel of the Romans. The Roman Government was simply paying the bill for Paul to take a trip that he wanted and a trip that God ordained.

Your condition might just be the setup for your next promotion. What the world uses to break you, God uses to make you. What the world used to demote you, God uses to promote you (Source: The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Ac 23:11). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society). What the world uses to relegate you, God uses to elevate you. What looks like a downgrade might end up being a step-up. What the devil uses to reduce you God use to complete you. Let the devil fund your next promote. Let the world facilitate your next blessing. Paul ‘s condition facilitated his promotion.

#2 — YOUR CONDITION IS ONLY A TEST Next, let me suggest that not only is your condition a setup for a promotion, but your condition is only a test. There are 3 things in our text that lets me know that this was test. First of all, notice when the storm came. The storm came when they almost reached their destination. They were 4 fifths of way to Italy when the storm appeared. They were almost there. Are you aware the Israelites were almost in the Promised Land when they started wandering in the dessert? Are you aware the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness when his 40 days fast was almost over?

When you almost have your blessing that’s when the devil starts messing. One of the most discouraging tactics is to allow you get close, but not close enough. Have you ever been there, close enough to see your bless, not close enough to touch it. Have you ever been there? Almost there, but then the storm shows up?

Do you ever notice that the storms of life come suddenly? Have you ever been doing fine one day, and then the next the bottom falls out – that’s a test. The storm came when they were almost there. The storm came suddenly. But also notice that the storm came when everything was calm. Have you ever heard about the calm before the storm? It was a test. First you need to understand that often your condition is only a test. Look at Acts 27: 23-24, it says:

For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

Did you catch that? In the midst of the storm, the angel of the Lord appearing and informed Paul that he was getting ready to stand before Ceasar, but also that God had put everybody on the ship in Paul’s hand.

Ain’t God all right? Your condition is not your conclusion. Your condition is only a test. Paul is a prisoner, but God is getting ready to use him to save his captors. Paul is a prisoner, but God is getting ready to elevate him as a leader. Paul is being condemned to death, but God is getting ready to use him to save lives.

Trials are uncomfortable situations that we all prefer not to endure. But don’t let the test; don’t let your current problems blind you to future possibilities. Your condition is only a test. Trials prove whether or not you really trust God: God allowed the ship to go through the storm and to be destroyed to test Paul’s faith and to show the men on board who Paul believed in. How a child of God handles trials will cause non-believers to trust in your God. Remember Jonah, when the ship was caught in a storm, the sailors asked Jonah to call on his God.

Trials are used by God to cause men/women to turn to Him for salvation: unfortunately for some of us God had to take us to rock bottom in order to get our attention. Romans 5:3-5 says, “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” The Holy Spirit will guide through the storms of life. Your tribulations are a condition, but it’s not your conclusion. The Holy Spirit will minister to you the fact that God will make it alright, God will bring you through the storm.

HOW DO YOU HANDLE THE STORMS But notice now Paul instructed them to handle the storm? Keep Your Courage:

In Acts 27:22 says, “But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.” Paul is offering some words of encouragement to the crew on the ship. He’s trying to tell them that their condition is not their conclusion. I see the word courage. Courage by definition is the ability to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty, or pain without being overcome by fear or being deflected from a chosen course of action. He told them to take courage. You can face the storms of life when God is in your life.

Stay In The Boat:

How do you face you storms. Paul also told them to stay in the boat. You can’t jump out of the boat because of every little storm in life or every big storm in life. Your safety is in staying in the boat. Don’t jump ship, stay in the boat.

Get Up and Eat

Finally, Paul told them to get up and eat. You can’t stop eating, stoping taking care of yourself just because there are storms in your life. Your physical man houses your spiritual man. If you are not strong physically, then you can’t be strong spiritually.

You condition is a setup for your promotion. Your condition is a test. And finally….

YOUR CONDITION IS NOT YOUR CONCLUSION Finally, your condition is not your conclusion.

Celebration: Moses had a condition. He was a murderer. If you read Exodus 2:12, he slew an Egyptian and hid him in the sand. It was his condition, but it wasn’t his conclusion. God used Moses an ordinary man to do extraordinary things. There was a man named Naaman. Naaman had a condition. Naaman was a leper. If you read 2 Kings 5:10, Elisha told Naaman to go the River Jordan, that old muddy River Jordan and to dip himself seven times and his flesh will be as clean as a newborn baby. Being a leper was his condition but it wasn’t his conclusion. Woman with the issues of Blood had a bleed condition, but it was not her conclusion. Jonah was in the belly of whale running from God; that was his condition but it was not his conclusion. Ruth and Naomi lost their husband during a time when women were lost without a man in their lives. This was their condition, but it was not their conclusion. Elijah went running in the dessert hiding from Jezebel; that was his condition, but it was not his conclusion. David when running from Saul, hiding in a cave; this was his condition, but it was not his conclucion. No matter what your condition may be, it’s not your conclusion. Drugs may be your condition – but it’s not your conclusion. Alcohol may be your condition – but it’s not your conclusion. Smoking may be your condition – but it’s not your conclusion. Sex may be your condition – but it’s not your conclusion. Lust may be your condition – but it’s not your conclusion. Pain may be your condition – but it’s not your conclusion. Abuse may be your condition – but it’s not your conclusion.

Sickness may be your condition – but it’s not your conclusion. Unemployment may be your condition – but it’s not your conclusion. Lying may be your condition – but it’s not your conclusion. Divorce may be your condition – but it’s not your conclusion. Prostitution may be your condition – but it’s not your conclusion. Having an Abortion may be your condition– but it’s not your conclusion. not your conclusion. Playing the South Carolina State Lottery may be your condition – but it’s not your conclusion. Even Death may be the condition – but it’s not your conclusion. How can you say these things preacher because I’ve been doing it for so long? I’ve been drinking for so many years. Preacher you don’t understand I have all of these children out of wedlock. People thought that when Jesus went to the cross that that was his conclusion. It was his condition, but it was not his conclusion. On that Friday, He hung on that old rugged cross, and He died. But early Sunday morning on that third day, He got up with all power in His hands. That’s why our condition will never be our conclusion as long as we trust and believe in Jesus Christ. Consider the Kenyan runners. They are some the best athletes in the worlds. I often wonder why they win so many races and earn so many Olympic medals. Well I learned that they training in the mountains; so there are running in difficult conditions. But the difficult conditions prepare them to run better in normal conditions. The mountains prepare them for the level ground. They train in high elevation without low oxygen, such that when they get to run in low elevation with high oxygen, they can run better. Also notice that they run in a pack. Like Paul said, stay in the boat because we are all in this thing together.

Not only do they run in packs, they also run behind the crowd. It looks like they are getting ready to loose the race, but then in the end they move ahead and take the lead and win the race.

Your condition may just be a setup for your next promotion. Your condition may be a test.

Your condition is not your conclusion. It ain’t over until God says it over.

AMEN!