Sharks, Lasers, and a One Bedroom Apartment.
Notes
Transcript
Handout
This morning we are continuing in Acts 28. Let’s catch up on where we are. Last week in verses 1 to 10 Paul got bit by a snake and we talked about my extreme displeasure and hatred of snakes. Not a casual dislike, but a deep, spiritual level hatred.
We saw how the enemy often shows up like that snake, striking when we are tired, vulnerable, and just trying to serve. We talked about how snakes will bite us.
We are not promised a bite free life. We are promised that the bite will not kill us. God never said the snake would not strike. He said it would not succeed.
We also talked about how easy it is to let the bite define us. How we can slip into a victim mindset, rehearse the wound, and start wearing the pain like an identity.
But Paul didn’t do that. He did not let the snake hang on. He shook it off into the fire. He did not camp out at the fire to win sympathy. He kept walking in obedience.
And the same hand the enemy tried to poison was the hand God used to bring healing to the sick on that island.
We learned that what the enemy meant to harm you with, God can redeem and use for His purpose.
We saw at the end of the section that they were “Honored greatly.” Honor doesn't come to who we pretend to be, it comes when we are who God created us to be.
If you’re frustrated because you aren't feeling honored maybe instead of getting mad and frustrated ask yourself am I being who God Called me to be?
I think this is especially true in marriage. Every spouse wants to be loved and honored. but many times we don’t act like the spouse we want to be honored like.
Let’s go down this rabbit hole for a moment. I’m about to help some marriages. Go with me real quick to Ephesians.
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
This is the part where men are like, “Yeah! See that? Better submit, girl. I’m the man. I’m the head.”
And this is where we get puffed up. We think we deserve honor simply because of our gender, not because of our character.
But here’s the truth: Honor and submission don’t come by force—they come by choice.
Your wife will choose to honor and submit to you based on your character.
You want your wife to follow your lead? Be the husband you’re called to be.
And Paul tells us exactly how to do that. Let’s keep reading.
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
LOVE YOUR WIFE like Christ loves the church.
Let me ask you, what did Jesus do for the church?
He died for it.
Paul tells us to love our wives as we love our own bodies.
If you wouldn’t put your own body through something, why put your wife through it?
Men, we’re called to lead, but marriage is not a dictatorship.
Now, notice something: Paul gives men and women different instructions.
Wives: Submit
Husbands: Love
Why?
Here’s where it gets interesting.
God created men and women differently.
Paul isn’t being random—he’s addressing where each of us naturally struggles.
16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”
That last part—“your desire shall be contrary to your husband”—means submission doesn’t come naturally.
Submission requires respect. And while women tend to naturally nurture and love, respect toward a husband’s leadership is something Scripture calls them to grow in.
Paul’s not saying, “Don’t love—just submit.” He’s saying, “Love—and also do the harder thing your flesh resists: submit.”
Then he turns to husbands: Love your wives.
And just so we’re clear—Paul says wife, not wives. You get one.
Jesus has one Bride—the Church—you get one bride, too.
You don’t need a new wife. You need to love the one you’ve got.
Why “love” for husbands?
Because love—true, self-sacrificing, Christlike love—doesn’t come naturally to men.
Respecting authority? That we get. But loving like Jesus? That’s not in our default setting.
17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
“Because you listened…”—in other words, because you submitted.
Paul’s telling men: “Your nature isn’t to love—so love.”
If you lead with Christlike love, you won’t have to demand submission—your wife will gladly follow your lead.
And that was free.
We haven’t even started the message yet.
That wasn’t the intro.
That wasn’t even the pre-intro.
That was just the free bread they give you at the restaurant before you order.
Acts 28 verse 11 you ready?
11 After three months we set sail in a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods as a figurehead. 12 Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. 13 And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhegium. And after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. 14 There we found brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. 15 And the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage. 16 And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him.
I’ve titled my message this morning, you ready?
Sharks, Lasers, and a One Bedroom Apartment
Turn to your neighbor, and say “He’s finally lost it.”
pray
Have you ever noticed that following Jesus feels a little crazy sometimes?
Come on, don’t leave me hanging here.
You ever feel like following Jesus is less “glory and power” and more like you’re in the middle of the ocean trying to dodge and swim past sharks that are shooting lasers?
and just when you survive that, you wash up on shore only to find yourself in yet another uncomfortable, unfavorable position.
Sometimes following Jesus doesn’t take you to the big stage, it takes you into obscurity.
Sometimes obedience doesn’t lead you away from discomfort — it walks you straight into it.
And you’re sitting there going, “Lord… I said yes to you, and this is where we’re going? This? Really?”
This is exactly what we are seeing unfolding in Acts 28.
This passage doesn’t give us a triumphant arrival or a miraculous escape.
It gives us a tired apostle, in chains, walking toward a calling that feels anything but glorious.
And that’s exactly the point.
Obedience isn’t always epic. But it is always fruitful.
Let’s take a quick journey back through several chapters and see how Paul got here:
Acts 21 — Arrested in the temple during a riot.
Acts 23 — Moved to Caesarea under heavy guard because of assassination threats.
Acts 24 — Two years imprisoned under Felix.
Acts 25–26 — Appeals to Caesar under Festus.
Acts 27–28 — Survives storms, a shipwreck, and even a viper bite before finally reaching Rome.
This is all part of the same story.
This isn’t a new arrest in Acts 28. It’s the same one that started all the way back in Acts 21.
It’s been almost four years.
Four years of waiting.
Four years of hearings, threats, storms, and setbacks.
Paul has been through some stuff in this process.
And here he is, all these years later… no dramatic rescue, no grand triumph… just chained up in a rented house, still under guard.
and heres thing about this four year process….
Paul shouldn’t be here. And I don’t mean because he’s innocent, even though he is.
I don’t mean to say that God failed him by not recuing him.
I mean to say that Paul should not have survived the last four years….
Think about it for a moment:
If we rewind from Acts 28:11 to Acts 21, the fact Paul’s still alive is borderline absurd.
Here’s what he’s survived just during this arrest:
1. Mob Violence in Jerusalem (Acts 21:27–36) – Seized in the temple, beaten by an enraged crowd, rescued by Roman soldiers before being torn apart.
2. Another Riot During Testimony (Acts 22:22–24) – The crowd explodes in rage as he speaks about Gentiles; commander orders him flogged.
3. Assassination Plot (Acts 23:12–22) – More than forty men take an oath not to eat or drink until they’ve killed him.
4. Political Prison in Caesarea (Acts 24:27) – Two years under a corrupt governor who holds him for bribes.
5. Dangerous Voyage in Hurricane Season (Acts 27:1–20) – Ship is caught in a violent northeaster for two weeks without sun or stars.
6. Shipwreck (Acts 27:39–44) – Ship runs aground and breaks apart; soldiers plan to kill all prisoners to prevent escape.
7. Hypothermia and Exhaustion (Acts 28:1–2) – Cold, wet, dependent on strangers for warmth on Malta.
8. Venomous Snakebite (Acts 28:3–6) – Bitten by a viper; locals wait for him to drop dead.
And then…..before he even gets to the rental house he boards a ship loaned to them with the image of false gods on the ship….
11 After three months we set sail in a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods as a figurehead.
Let me give you some history here.
The “twin gods” in Greek mythology were Castor and Pollux. They were supposedly twin brothers, known as the “saviors of sailors.”
Here’s where it gets weird. Only one of them was immortal.
The myth says their mom, Leda, had an encounter with Zeus disguised as a swan, and not long after, she also had relations with her husband, King Tyndareus.
And apparently, as if that was not strange enough, she laid eggs.
Literal eggs. Out of which came these so-called gods and their sisters.
Later in the story, Castor was killed. Pollux begged Zeus to let him share his immortality with his brother. Zeus agreed and split their time.
Half in Olympus with the gods, half in Hades with the dead. That became their claim to fame…symbols of brotherly loyalty and protection at sea.
Which is why their image was on this ship.
This is the level of crazy people were putting their trust in.
And before we laugh too hard, we do the same thing.
We just make our idols out of different stuff. We trust in money to save us. We trust in people to give us purpose.
Some of us put more faith in our iPhones than in God.
And then there’s the people who trust an Android phone… which is just a whole different level of blind faith.
So here’s Paul. Standing on a boat with the carved images of “gods” who supposedly save sailors, while the real Savior of sailors is living inside of him.
Paul isn’t sinful for being on the boat.
It is just interesting to see the obscurity of the things he has walked through, and now this moment.
The people who owned that boat believed those carved images were their protection.
But Paul knew better.
He didn’t arrive here because of symbols carved into wood. He got here because of the Spirit of God guiding every step.
And that is where I want us to lean in today. When you walk in obedience to the Spirit, you will see the fruit of it in your life.
This morning I want to give you three fruits of obedience.
Fruit 1: Strength through obedience
When you walk in obedience to the will and call of God, He will give you supernatural endurance.
10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Notice what God says here:
I will strengthen you, not “strengthen yourself.”
Endurance in the Christian life doesn’t come from willpower. It comes from His power.
When you are obeying Him, you are not running on your own fuel. You are running on His.
Your strength is not enough. You need God’s strength. The only way you receive God’s strength is through obedience to Him.
If you feel like quitting, it’s often because you’re trying to do it in your own strength instead of walking in obedience to God’s leading.
When you try to push through life in your own strength, the storms will break you.
But when you walk in obedience, God gives you strength that outlasts the storm.
look at Mark 4
37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Jesus did more than calm the storm…He confronted their lack of faith.
They had Him with them in the boat, yet their faith was tied to calm waters instead of to the One who commands the waters.
The storm simply revealed what their faith was anchored to.
Storms will expose your faith.
Fast forward to Acts 27
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.
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.
Same Jesus. Same chaos. But in Acts, He does not stop the storm. He lets it rage.
In Mark 4, the disciples feared because their faith was in the outcome.
In Acts 27–28, Paul had peace because his faith was in the One who promised to bring him through.
Sometimes Jesus calms the storm. Sometimes He calms you.
Paul didn’t survive because the storm stopped.
He endured because his heart was anchored to the promise of God, not the calmness of the sea.
Now lets get back Acts 28
Fresh off that storm and months on the island of Malta, they set sail again.
The seas are calmer this time, but Paul is still traveling under the same anchor the promise of God.
14 There we found brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. 15 And the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage.
Here’s what I find fascinating. Remember back in verse 11, Luke included that seemingly random detail about the image of the “twin god” brothers carved into the ship?
Well, in verse 14, when they finally arrive in Rome, they find brothers again.
But this time it’s different.
These brothers are not false. Not idols. Not lifeless carvings. These are real, living, Spirit-filled brothers in Christ.
These details are not random, this is intentional.
Luke places these moments side-by-side on purpose.
The world offers false gods to calm our fears. God offers real people to walk beside us.
The twin gods can’t speak, serve, or pray. But the brothers in Christ can and they do.
Where the world gets false encouragement through idols, we get the encouragement of Christ through each other.
verse 15 says Paul thanked them, and took courage.
Here is the second fruit of obedience:
Fruit 2: Courage through community
Paul is still exhausted, but now he’s not alone.
You don’t need a miracle to keep going. You might just need a believer to sit with you, pray with you, and remind you who you are.
And maybe someone else needs that from you.
We often think the only way God can keep us going is through a miracle…the sea parts, the storm stops, the problem vanishes.
But the Bible shows us over and over that God often keeps His people going through the presence, prayers, and encouragement of others.
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!
24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
That’s what’s happening in Acts 28:15. Paul has been through storms, shipwrecks, and trials, and God doesn’t send an angel this time.
Instead, He sends believers from Rome who walk miles just to meet him. The text says, “On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage.”
Sometimes the miracle isn’t the storm stopping. Sometimes the miracle is who God sends someone to walk into the storm with you.
So if you’re weary, maybe what you need isn’t a parted sea…maybe you just need to open your door, open your life, and let a brother or sister walk in with the presence of Christ.
This is why we talk so much about being here at church.
This is why we preach about small groups so much.
This is why you keep hearing us talk about Wednesday and Saturday prayer.
This is why you get that text from someone checking in.
It’s not because we want you to be busy with another “church thing.”
It’s because we want you to step into the encouragement system God designed for His Church a system where we bear one another’s burdens, lift each other up, and remind each other who we are in Christ.
So Paul finally makes it to Rome after almost four years.
No platform. No parade. No miraculous rescue. Just a prison guard and a rented room.
16 And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him.
Fruit 1: Strength through obedience
Fruit 2: Courage through community
Fruit 3: Peace in the shadows
Obedience isn’t always the big stage. Sometimes it’s being faithful in a small room.
Paul finally reaches Rome….after years of travel, storms, shipwrecks, and trials. But there’s no parade, no platform, no mass crusade. Just Paul, a rented room, and a soldier chained to him.
Yet he isn’t bitter. He isn’t restless. He is at peace.
Paul wrote a important letter in this very imprisonment: The Letter to the Philippians
Look at what he wrote
11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
We love to put verse 13 on coffee mugs, t-shirts, and bumper stickers.
But Paul didn’t write it in a stadium after winning a championship….he declared it in prison, chained to a guard.
His strength wasn’t from success. It was from Christ.
Paul’s journey to Rome wasn’t glamorous.
It was storms, shipwrecks, snakes… basically sharks with lasers …all ending in what amounts to a one-bedroom apartment with a guard for a roommate.
But none of that changed his worship.
Paul had:
Fruit 1: Strength through obedience.
Fruit 2: Courage through community.
Fruit 3: Peace in the shadows.
We don’t worship God for position. We worship God from position.
The position we already have in Christ.
We’re not waiting for the promotion.
We’re not waiting for the platform.
We’re not waiting for the perfect setup.
Paul could worship in the storm, worship in the shadows, worship in the chains — because his position was secure.
So let me leave you with this:
If worship flows from position… are you in the right position?
