Be Safe, or Die Trying
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Last week we talked about what it feels like to wrestle with doubt in the middle of a storm.
We looked at Acts 27 when the sailors thought land was close…
but it was still midnight.
Fear crept in.
Doubt followed.
Some of them even tried to escape in lifeboats
because that’s what doubt does.
It makes you want to run from the very place God told you to stay.
But Paul steps in and says,
“Unless you stay in this ship you cannot be saved.”
And that was the big truth last week:
You can’t trust God and keep a backup plan.
Faith means cutting the ropes to the lifeboat and saying,
“God if You don’t come through, I’m done.”
And then after fourteen nights of darkness…dawn finally came.
We ended with this:
Darkness is temporary.
The night will not last.
God is still speaking.
He’s still saying,
“Let there be light.”
So when doubt starts whispering in your ear…
when fear says you’re not going to make it…
when the storm says this is the end…
when the enemy says God has left you…doubt your doubts.
This week we are going to finish up Acts 27.
lets pick back up in verse 39.
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. 42 The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. 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.
I’ve titled this message this morning Be Safe, or Die Trying.
Pray
There are two types of people in this world when it comes to traveling.
First, you’ve got the planners.
Everything is mapped out to a T.
The itinerary is set in stone. The schedule is color-coded.
If the plan says we leave at 8:00, they’re waking you up at 6:00 like,
“We’re already behind!”
By 7:45 they’re standing at the door, keys in hand, yelling,
“Get in the car! We’re going to be late for vacation!”
They’ve got snacks portioned into Ziploc bags, labeled by food group.
Hotel confirmations printed, laminated, and in a binder.
And if you dare show up without the matching family T-shirt?
You just ruined Christmas.
Then… there are people like me.
No plan. No agenda.
“What time are we leaving?” …When we leave.
“What’s the route?” …Whichever way has the least traffic… probably.
And no, I am not wearing a matching T-shirt.
Matter of fact, if you hand me one, I’m setting it on fire.
Planners want control.
People like me just want to enjoy the time without being bound to it.
But there is something they have in common.
Planners freak out when things go wrong… and people like me? We act chill on the outside, but inside we’re thinking, “We’re gonna die out here.”
Because whether you’re a control freak or a “go with the flow” person…life has a way of wrecking both your plans.
It does not matter how good your plan is. Plans fall apart.
And that is exactly what happens in Acts 27.
They had a plan. Verse 39 says they saw a bay with a beach and planned to run the ship ashore.
That was the itinerary. Smooth landing. Easy finish.
But then verse 41 says they hit a reef,
and the ship broke apart.
The plan was gone.
The method was gone.
Now they are just grabbing planks and floating for their lives.
And here is where it gets messy.
Because God had given Paul a promise back in verse 24.
Not one of you will lose your life.
But standing on that breaking deck,
with waves crashing, soldiers plotting murder,
and the ship literally disintegrating beneath them,
it looks like God lied.
It looks like the promise did not make it either.
Have you ever been there?
When what you see does not match what God said?
When the plan fell apart so completely you started wondering if God failed too?
That is the tension in this text.
And the truth is this.
God’s promise was never to preserve the ship. It was to fulfill the mission.
Sometimes the thing you thought would carry you has to break so you can discover what really will.
Some of us blame the method as if the method is the gospel.
We have to stop looking at the method as the answer.
If your faith is in the method, you don’t have faith. You have an idol.
Idols will convince you to try and kill what God is protecting.
42 The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape.
The ship is breaking apart. The plan failed. Panic sets in.
And now these soldiers are ready to murder innocent men.
Why? Because idols do this.
Idols turn survival into sin instead of submission.
They make you believe the only way to make it through is to take control instead of trust God.
They will push you to compromise what is right just to hold on to what is sinking.
And when survival becomes your idol, submission stops being an option.
Christians today, we do not think we have idols.
We think because we have the Bible we have it all together.
Ignoring the fact that people who literally walked with God in the flesh still sinned and struggled.
Do you realize God called Peter out for wanting to build an idol?
Most of us miss this in Scripture.
Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up on a mountain by themselves. While they are there, Jesus is transfigured. His face shines like the sun and His clothes become bright white. Then Moses and Elijah show up and start talking with Him.
This is the ultimate spiritual moment. And Peter does what a lot of us do. He tries to hold on to the experience by making it permanent
Look at this:
1 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.”
Peter says, “Lord, this is good. Let’s build three tents. One for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
That word “tents” means tabernacles—holy spaces, sacred places.
Peter wanted to build a shrine to this moment.
He wanted to freeze the experience instead of follow the instructions.
And then God interrupts and says, “This is My Son. Listen to Him.”
Translation: Stop clinging to the method. Stop clinging to the moment. Follow the Messiah.
Peter wasn’t trying to worship another god. He was trying to worship a moment.
He wanted to camp out in the glory instead of walk into the mission.
And if we are honest, that is a lot of us.
We want the mountaintop.
We want the goosebumps.
We want the experience, not the obedience.
We want to pitch a tent where Jesus said, “Pick up your cross.”
But look at verse 7.
“But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Rise, and have no fear.’”
He does not leave them on the mountain.
He touches them and calls them to move.
Because the mission is not on the mountain.
It is in the valley.
It is in the places where it costs you something.
And here is what I need you to understand today:
You have to respond to the touch and rise.
Jesus is not going to pick you up kicking and screaming.
He will call you.
He will empower you.
But you have to get up and follow.
And that is the same tension we saw in Acts 27.
God made a promise: “Not one life will be lost.”
But that promise required obedience: “Stay in the ship.”
And when the ship broke apart, they had a choice.
Jump ship in fear or hold on to the pieces in faith.
Because the ship was never the savior.
The ship was just the method.
And God’s promise was never to protect the method.
It was to accomplish His mission.
And for some of you today, the ship has broken.
The plan fell apart.
The thing you thought would carry you is sinking.
And you are standing in the tension thinking,
“God, did You lie? Did You fail me?”
No. His promise still stands.
But you have to stop worshiping the method.
Stop camping out in the moment.
Good or bad, the moment is not God.
We have to start walking in the mission.
So hear me: Respond to the touch and rise.
Let go of the plan.
Let go of the control.
Stop clinging to a ship that God already said will sink.
And trust Him enough to move where He calls you.
Because the ship may break.
The method may fail.
But the mission will not.
Now remember what we saw back in verse 42.
The soldiers decided it was time to kill the prisoners.
And Paul is a prisoner.
So in this moment, it looks like God’s promise is about to die with him.
This is where most of us would panic and look for an escape plan.
This is where we start listening to the voice of anxiety and ignoring the Word of God.
And I want you to hear me clearly:
I believe in mental health.
I believe in counseling.
I believe in medication when it’s needed.
Those things matter.
But here’s the truth:
Some of us need to stop claiming anxiety like it’s our identity.
Anxiety is not yours.
Stop saying “my anxiety.”
It’s not yours.
Don’t name it. Don’t own it. Don’t let it define you.
It’s time to stop letting the world decide what you need.
We need to start believing what the bible says:
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
That’s a command, not a suggestion.
God is not saying, “Manage your anxiety.”
He is saying, “Bring it to Me.”
He is saying, “Trade your worry for My peace.”
The world will tell you to claim it.
The Word tells you to cast it.
The world says, “This is just who you are.”
The Word says, “This is not your portion.”
The world says, “Cope.”
The Word says, “Come to Me.”
7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Notice what it does NOT say.
It does not say, “Carry it.”
It does not say, “Claim it.”
It does not say, “Cope with it.”
It says, “Cast it.”
Throw it on Jesus.
Get it off of you.
Some of us have been tolerating what Jesus told us to throw out.
Some of us have been medicating what Jesus told us to surrender.
And listen to me: If you try to medicate what God says to surrender, you will always feel stuck.
Now hear me clearly, because there is a line here.
Your brain is an organ, just like your heart is.
If your heart needs help, you take medicine, and that is wisdom.
If your mind needs help, you take medicine, and that is wisdom too.
But if you have a heart condition, you cannot just pop a pill and keep eating junk every day.
You need a diet change.
And your mind works the same way.
Sometimes you need medication, but you also need to change what you are feeding your mind.
If you are feeding it fear,
if you are feeding it constant news cycles,
if you are feeding it social media comparison,
you cannot expect peace to grow in soil that is filled with weeds.
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
So stop letting the world define what you need.
Start believing what the Word says.
Listen to me.
Peace is not the absence of problems. Peace is the presence of Jesus.
You cannot experience His peace while you keep clinging to control.
We have to trust God because he will work on your behalf. because he will.
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,
God will use whoever He needs to use to fulfill His word in your life.
He will use a pagan soldier to protect a praying apostle.
He will use what looks like chaos to position you for your calling.
Because His promise was never about preserving the ship. It was about fulfilling the mission.
So stop clinging to control.
Stop panicking when plans fall apart.
Stop thinking God failed because the method broke.
verse 44 is where i want to 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 ship broke apart.
The method failed.
But the mission still stood.
God said, “Not one life will be lost,” and His word came to pass.
Some swam to shore, and some just grabbed a plank.
There are going to be seasons when you cannot swim.
You do not have the strength to move yourself to safety.
So what do you do?
You cling to what you know.
I may not know much, but I know God is faithful.
I may only have one Bible verse memorized—
then I am clinging to that verse like my life depends on it.
I may not feel strong enough to swim,
but I can hold on to a piece of the promise.
So I came to tell somebody today:
you might not have the whole plan,
you might not have all the strength,
but if you can just hold on to a piece,
God will get you to the shore!
Grab the plank and declare: “I’m holding on to His word!”
Grab the plank and declare: “I’m holding on to His promise!”
Grab the plank and declare: “I’m holding on to Jesus!”
Because the ship may break,
the method may fail,
but the mission will not!
His word will not return void!
He who began a good work in you
will be faithful to complete it!
