Maintaining Confidence in the Midst of Chaos

Introduction

Good morning Church! It’s good to see each and every one who has made it out to the Lord’s house this morning! I’d like to welcome all those who may be joining online as well.

We hope each of you have had a great week this past week.

Today, we will be continuing on in our study of the Book of Acts here and we will be winding our way to the end with only two chapters left.

This morning, we will be looking at one of those two chapters, chapter 27, as we look at a message I have entitled…Maintaining Confidence in the Midst of Chaos.

It’s very easy when chaotic times come our way to lose confidence in ourselves and our abilities, confidence in our friends & family members, and even confidence in our faith.

I know I can’t be the only one here this morning who has ever been in a chaotic situation to the point where you’ve simply said… “God, where are you? Are you still there Lord? How is this happening?” Or “why is this happening to me?”

Anyone else ever been in such dire straits that you’ve asked those some of those questions?

Well, this morning we are going to see Paul, and at least Luke it would seem from the scripture, find themselves in a dire strait themselves and you can almost hear the anger/resentment in Paul’s voice at one point because he warned the people in charge that if they didn’t listen they would end up in the very chaotic situation they find themselves in.

But even in the midst of the chaos, Paul maintained his confidence that his God was in control and would see them through safely and if you pay very close attention, you will also see those around Paul also come to trust in the God Paul trusts in.

It doesn’t start off that way but because of Paul’s confidence in His God, others take notice and begin to see that there’s something more to this God Paul speaks of and trusts in and it’s as if you can see the tiniest sliver of his confidence begin to take root in the others who are in his presence.

And this morning my prayer is that maybe you find yourself in a chaotic situation here today. You may be going through a chaotic situation yourself. The storms of life have been beating at your door and it’s all you can do to hold it together.

This morning, I pray as we work our way through this message that you too will be able to find some confidence in our mighty God for it is He and He alone who can calm those storms or as we will see in this morning’s message…maybe calming the storm isn’t the solution. Maybe the solution for you is to weather the storm.

That’s what Paul and crew had to do. God didn’t calm the storm but He gives Paul the confidence to weather it and He’ll do the same for you this morning if you will but put your faith and trust in Him.

With no further ado, if you have your Bible’s turned to Acts 27 would you say, Amen.

Setting Sail for Rome (Vs. 1-8)

John Phillips — Ramsay has suggested that “Augustus’s band” was an imperial cohort of couriers responsible for communications between the Caesar and his armies in the provinces. Paul was committed to the charge of one such army officer. His status as a Roman citizen and the fact that he was on his way to the emperor secured favorable treatment for Paul. Even though Paul was a prisoner, who knew what high-level connections he might have? Throughout the voyage, Julius treated Paul with considerable deference. Paul’s gift for making friends doubtless helped him, and as the voyage proceeded and Paul’s wisdom, foresight, and influence became obvious, the centurion became his protector.

William Barclay — PAUL has embarked upon his last journey. Two things must have lifted his spirits. One was the kindness of a stranger, for all through the voyage Julius, the Roman centurion, treated Paul with kindness and consideration which were more than mere courtesy. He is said to have belonged to the Augustan cohort. That may have been a special corps acting as liaison officers between the emperor and the provinces. If so, Julius must have been a man of long experience and with an excellent military record. It may well be that, when Paul and Julius stood face to face, one brave man recognized another. The other uplifting thing was the devotion of Aristarchus. It has been suggested that there was only one way in which Aristarchus could have accompanied Paul on this last journey, and that was by enrolling himself as Paul’s slave. It is probable that Aristarchus chose to take this action rather than be separated from him—and loyalty can go no further than that.

John Phillips — It has been suggested that these two friends of Paul might have shipped aboard as Paul’s slaves. If so, that would have greatly enhanced Paul’s image in the eyes of the centurion.

Look well at Luke and Aristarchus. Jesus said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” He said, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was … in prison, and ye came unto me” (Matt. 25:34–40). If such an inheritance is in store for those who thus identify themselves with the least of His brethren, what an inheritance awaits Luke and Aristarchus, who ministered thus to the very chief of all the apostles!

The Suggestion of Paul — (Vs. 9-10)

John Phillips — Luke gives us some idea of the date. “The fast was now already past” is a clear reference to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. That annual “feast of the Jews” was celebrated of the tenth day of the seventh month (Lev. 23:27), which would be about the first of October in A.D. 59. The dangerous time for sailing ran from about mid-September to mid-November, at which time all navigation ceased until winter was over. Because winter storms could soon be expected on the Mediterranean, Paul spoke up and “adomonished” those in the position to imperil everyone’s life by a rash decision, especially his friend the centurion.

The Shrugging Off of the Suggestion — (Vs. 11-12)

The Struggles of Sailing Against Paul’s Suggestion — (Vs. 13-20)

John Phillips — There are two gulfs on the North African coast full of shoals and sandbars, called Syrtis Major and Syrtis Minor.

The Scorning of Paul — (Vs. 21)

The Spurning of Paul — (Vs. 22-26)

The Struggles Continue — (Vs. 27-29)

The Skedaddling of the Shipmen — (Vs. 30-32)

The Stirring of the Shipmen — (Vs. 33-38)

The Striving for the Shore — (Vs. 39-44)