Shake It Off

Shake It All Off.

Acts 28:5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.

To begin I was having a soliloquy moment. And as a Soliloquist, I began to talk to myself. The dramatic monologue that I was having while talking to myself made me soliloquize my thoughts. And I had an ephime and it was “Shake it all off”. The bible says in Acts 28:5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.

Can I be real in here today Listen 3x I was talking to a woman who was going through some serious changes, and I told her, “sister you’ve got to just Let it all go”…She said Rev I’ve been through some tough stuff but this. And I said and this too shall pass.

Sometimes Christians have to be reminded that in life we go through some ups and some downs. The late great Rev Samuel Singleton Jr. Taught me Ray it might be my trouble today but your trouble is right around the corner. When he said it Then I didn’t really get it!!! I thought that his statement was just an old cliche’ that sounded good from a seasoned Pastor Preacher Teacher Leader. Oh But now, Just live long enough, and you’ll have your own testimonies to tell, and they’ll be worth something to hear them.

The scenarios in life that’s worth mentioned here is that we’ve got to learn to Shake it all off. For in last week alone, I’ve visited Hospital rooms and even prophetically became and instrument of God to petition prayers for at least 3 people who are in critical condition. Brothers and sisters God works in mysterious ways. And His wonders to perform.God knows how to direct our steps, How to sure up our paths, and how to trail blaze new territories for us that give Him Glory.

We had some stormy weather last week. And the biblical character Paul had been in stormy weather too.

Paul and the Captain and crew we now ship wrecked on the Island of Melita or some call it Malta. And the bible says while being there The people treated Paul and the Crew very hospitable. And I like these people because when the record books are opened and our history is read, I want people to say those were some nice people.

Let’s dig into the story in the scriptures Acts 28:1 And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita. The background to this exciting story s that Paul and the captain and the crew had just been in a terrible storm.

They had just escaped being taken down and drown in the sea. The Roman Guard kept Paul safe and all prisoners landed on the island. Everybody on the ship held on to broken pieces of the ship and everybody landed on the island of Melita safely.

And that goes to say metaphorically that if we all stay on the church ship, everything is going to be alright. Listen it may get rough on the church ship and it may get mighty tough on the church ship sometimes but Paul says stay On The Ship. Tell your neighbor: stay On the church ship.

And God will bring us safely to the landing And so the bible says in Acts 28:1 And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita. Verse 2 says that The people who lived there were very good to us. Because it was raining and very cold, they made a fire and welcomed all of us.

I was instructed by God when I first accepted this Church. Welcome everybody. Accept everybody. Treat everybody good. And don’t never change nobody even when some may show you that they are not who they said they were.

And so the people of the Island treated Paul them good but look at verse 3 Because verse 3 would give anybody pause.

3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. Lord have mercy. A snake jumped out of the flames and bite Paul. The bible says it was a Viper. A Viper is a venomous snake.

And On this island of Melita they knew that if a venomous snake bit you, you were a gonner. They knew in a matter of minutes you would be dead! And the bible says in verse 4 that The people living on the island saw the snake hanging from Paul’s hand and said to each other, “This man must be a murderer! He did not die in the sea, but Justice does not want him to live.” Alright Alright Alright

1. We know that the mills of Justice grind slowly but they grind exceedingly fine.

2. We also know that in ancient cultures it was a school of thought that if you were a murderer and a criminal and you somehow escaped that Carma, or fate, or that Prophecy, LIFE would catch up to you and give you what you deserve. Because

3. Even in Christian Culture the book of Galatians says be not deceived God is not mocked what so ever a man sows that shall he also reap.

And the people on the Island looked at Paul and thought that he was a murderer and/or a harden criminal at the least. But verse 5 says “And Paul shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm”. Paul shook the snake off. Paul shook it all off. And for the people of God today shake it all off.

The Gospel storytellers and songsters say that there was an old goat the fell down in the well. they said we will just bury the old goat alive. So they started throwing dirt down in the well. They kept on throwing dirt down in the well And every time they’d throw dirt down in the well the old goat would shake it off, and pack the dirt under his feet. Pretty soon the when they thought that the well would be full of dirt and that the old goat would be buried under and massive amount of dirt, the Old goat came up out of the well and walked away.

I want to be like that old goat when they throw dirt on you just shake shake shake, Shake the devil off. The late great Mia Angelo says still I rise. The devil meant it for our bad but I’m so glad that God! meant it for our good.

And so they are looking at Paul. Paul should have dropped dead by now. Paul should have swell up like a balloon by now and by now Paul should have had a seizure and foam at the mouth by now.

But Paul is acting like nothing is wrong because God protected Paul. 6 Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.

The people of the Island of Melita went from thinking that Paul was a murderer to thinking that Paul was a god of some kind or another.

7. In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously.

And this tells me all it takes is for one powerful person to approve of you… And you’ll make it wherever you are. Publius took care of Paul and then the favor was repaid back to him. When you take good care of people they’ll take good care of you.

Watch this in verse 8 And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.

Wait 3x Paul has just been bitten by a deadly viper, he should have died but yet we see Paul’s heart for ministry. Paul knew he had the gift of healing. and this was a perfect opportunity for Paul to show God’s healing power through the name of Jesus. The bible says Paul healed Publius’ Father from the dysentery disease. The bible call it a bloody flux: This was an awful disease because the person who had this disease would have extreme severe diarrhea with blood and puss coming out of their bile.

Now days that’s like Colon Cancer. There was no cure for that in biblical antiquity. But there was no serum for a deadly snake bit that Paul recieved either. Brothers and sister this is So ironic how God presented impossible diseases and conditions before the people. And then allowed Paul to heal them. The bible says they brought people form all over the island to be healed and Paul healed them all.

Look brothers and sisters before I close I’ve just got to say. Shake it All off. And my prayer is Lord help us not to be unnecessarily troubled by setbacks. Lord help us to shake them off.

The great consolation with this text is that when the viper bit Paul, Paul viewed it as an ordinary everyday irritation. Somebody ask me why? Paul had been beaten with 40 lashes minus one, Paul was beat to within an inch of his life. Paul like Jesus had been dragged from court to prison to the dungeon and whipped and beaten all for calling on the name of Jesus.But not only that the well learned theologians of Jesus’ day and time all knew Paul before He was converted to Christianity.

Because it was Paul who went all around the region looking for Christians to persecute. Oh but One day Paul met Jesus on the Damascus Road. Paul describes it as a light brighter than the noon day sun and Paul Heard a voice out of the Sky say Saul Saul why persecute thou me. And Paul said who art thou Lord and the voice said I am Jesus the Christ The first and the Last the beginning and the ending and Saul your hand are too short to box with God. And Paul was blinded by the Shekiana Glory of God in the Personality of Jesus the Christ and Paul had to be led by the hand until he got his mind right. Paul was led to Ananias’ house and Ananias talked bad about Saul

and the Lord said I’ve changed his name from Saul to Paul and This Paul will see the things he must suffer for my name’s sake.

And so in closing Paul is well qualified to teach us how to Shake it all off . If you got to holler it out Shake it all off, If you got to mourn and grown it all out shake it all off, if you got to cry it out shake it all off, if you got to sing it all out, Shake it all off, if you got to pray it out shake it all off.

Shake it all off and act like it’s just another day that the Lord has made. Shake it all off and act like victory is mine Victory today is mine because I told Satan get thee behind because Victory today is mine. we have overcomed the world and we have the victory to shake it all. Tell your neighbor:We are going to win no matter what the devil throw at us . The end of the story teaches that the Islanders of Melita gave the Apostle Paul, the Captain, the Crew and the prisoners all of the resources that they would need to complete their journey.

We have to live this life as winners because it’s Just another day