Shipwrecked but Survived
Notes
Transcript
Handout
How we respond to shipwrecks can either stunt our growth or solidify our faith.
Opening Line: Who Loves to Sail?
INTRODUCTION:
Navigating a Sailboat is more then just knowing how to sail... you have to know the weather, the stars, the wind and in ancient times, there were no GPS or even paper maps that were useful. Sea captans had to be familiar with their surroundings by knowing the placement of the stars in the sky. Being in the middle of the open sea where no land that is visible. That is all good when the skies are clear and the wind is at our back but in the middle of a storm and the wind is against us, that becomes much more difficult if not impossible to navigate.
When we are following Jesus, we must listen to HIS voice and obey the leading of the Holy Spirit because sometimes storms make navigating life difficult if not impossible.
Even as God was leading Paul down this road to Rome storms came. Storms will cause difficultly, hardship, loss, fear, danger, even shipwreck. Even when the 276 were fighting for their very survival on the open seas, it was the Lord who ultimately protected them. At the end was total devastation but the only thing that mattered at the end was that they lived through the devastation. They survived because God protected them throughout the entire storm.
Preparing for the shipwreck will help us respond in a spiritually healthy way.
Surround yourself with people who are going to build you up before the storm hits.
Surround yourself with people who are going to build you up before the storm hits.
Those who live in Florida have to prepare themselves knowing that a hurricane is approaching.
Plywood, Sandbags, taking things off the floor, evacuation.
Knowing that storms will come, surround yourself with people who are going to build you up.
Even before the storm and the shipwreck, God gave Paul favor with the people of influence.
1 And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius.
2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for.
Keep in mind that Paul was a prisoner but because Paul was a good prisoner, Paul had favor with the commander a Roman centurion named Julius.
He was also accompanied by at least 2 of his close friends, Luke and Aristarchus. Paul didn’t do this journey alone. God gave him favor with the leaders and strong believers who supported Paul and encouraged him when facing these real storms.
4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.
On this first leg of the journey the ship remained close to the coast due to the early autumn winds. As they were heading into the late fall sea travel in the Mediterranean became more and more dangerous and in the winter months, November through early March, these voyages were impossible.
At Myra, Julius located a large Egyptian grain ship heading from Alexandria to Italy so they hopped on board.
But things began to get more and more difficult because the wind was preventing them from go any further so they stopped at Fair Havens.
They had rough waters, the wind was against them, it was slow and they struggled with great difficulty. At this point, Paul had to chime in.
9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.”
Paul had no authority or credibility in this matter… he wasn’t a seasoned mariner but still, he had to chime in.
Paul was no stranger to shipwrecks.
2 Corinthians 11:25 (ESV)
25 Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea.
Paul had some experience going through storms and even shipwrecks. God told Paul to speak up even if nobody listened.
Some shipwrecks can be avoided.
Some shipwrecks can be avoided.
11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.
I get it the centurion, Julius, had to make the decision. He had the authority to make the call so to make the right call, why would you listen to a prisoner? You don’t listen to a prisoner, you listen to the experts the ship’s captan and the owner of the ship. Plus they wanted to get to Italy as soon as possible. This trip should have taken a day or 2 so Julius was willing to take the chance and sail on but as we know, that ended up being a very costly mistake.
All this could have been avoided but hindsight is 20/20.
Even after bad decisions, we can’t live life in regret, looking backwards at a bad decision.
It’s hard to move forward living in regret.
If only I wouldn’t have… married so and so. I wouldn’t have purchased this… I wouldn’t have shacked up with…
I wish I would have listened to my parents, my pastor, my best friend… this shipwreck would have been avoided.
True, sometimes shipwrecks can be avoided but not always. God often uses shipwrecks to develop and reenforce our faith. Even when we are going through a storm life goes on.
13 Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. 14 But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. 15 And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the ship’s boat. 17 After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and thus they were driven along. 18 Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. 19 And on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.
Things quickly became hopeless. The storm came out of nowhere. They used ropes to hold the ship together. They were dropping the ship’s gear and cargo to lighten the load.
The source of navigation was gone since they couldn’t see the sun or stars for days. They blindly sailed just hoping to find land.
Then Paul spoke up again but this time, he had a lot more credibility.
21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss.
Paul said… what did I tell you… You should have listened to me. All this could have been avoided if only… gotta love being right.
22 Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25 So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. 26 But we must run aground on some island.”
After that obvious reminder Paul encouraged the people. Take heart everyone will survive this shipwreck. Don’t give up, don’t try to survive on your own, every life is on this boat is precious: Prisoner to centurion, to captan, to soldier, to owner, everybody will be spared.
Paul said that God’s going to get the glory for this one. It was God who gave Paul a dream.
While he was sleeping in the storm…
An angel of God reminded him that God will fulfill HIS calling by sending him to Rome.
24 and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’
It wasn’t just about Paul, it was about the people who were with Paul as well.
Paul has already seen God’s faithfulness throughout HIS life. Now God will use a storm and a shipwreck to show these people that the God Paul serves is always faithful.
Show other people that the God that you serve is still faithful no matter what storms we face, no matter how battered our ship might be, no matter what we need to throw overboard on the journey… God will always prove HIS faithfulness.
Even after we run the ship aground on some unknown island, God will be present and HE will always show HIMSELF faithful.
Even when everything will be a complete lost. Even when the shipwreck is inevitable… obey God’s instructions and we will make it through.
When we are facing a shipwreck, Let Go and Let God.
When we are facing a shipwreck, Let Go and Let God.
27 When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. 28 So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms. A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms. 29 And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come.
2 weeks on the open sea, fighting the wind and the waves they were finally at a place where they could rest. Hoping that they were approaching land, they dropped all 4 anchors and prayed for daylight.
As they were stopped, some of the sailors tried to survive by dropping some lifeboats.
31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it go.
Release our lifeboats
What do we cling to when we are stressed… depressed… when life is out of control… when dealing with excess cargo from our past…
What lifeboat do we turn to… Drugs, Alcohol, porn, food,
Get help… don’t isolate… Let’s be the church…
We are in this together… let’s work together, pray together, encourage one another.
33 As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. 34 Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength, for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” 35 And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. 36 Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 (We were in all 276 persons in the ship.) 38 And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.
2 weeks without food, worried about one thing… living to see the next day.
Take care of yourself.
Paul told everyone to eat and rest. The ship is anchored… don’t worry about tomorrow, take care of yourself.
Lighten the load and head to shore.
39 Now when it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to run the ship ashore. 40 So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach. 41 But striking a reef, they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf.
They made it… they all survived. Even though the cargo and the ship were a complete loss, they all made it alive.
The soldiers were planning to kill the prisoners so they wouldn’t swim away and escape but Julius, the centurion wanted to save Paul so he stopped them from carrying out that plan.
43 But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, 44 and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land.
The pieces of the ship were what brought most of the people to land safely.
God will always be enough no matter how bad the storm rages.
Fully trust in God through any storm: Cut the ropes, open us the sail and hit the shore.
This is a great lesson for us: It is far better to be with God in the midst of danger than to be without God in a place of apparent safety.
TAKE AWAY
Recognize the presence of God —understand that God is with you, even in the darkest times.
Rely on the people of God —lean on the people whom God graciously puts in your life.
Rest on the promises of God —know that what God has said, he will do.
Remember the purposes of God—keep your eyes on the destination and ultimate goal.
A crisis does not make a person; a crisis shows what a person is made of, and it tends to bring true leadership to the fore.
Warren Wiersbe
