How to Sail in the Right Direction

Introduction

I. Navigate with Wisdom

We can very easily trick ourselves into believing that we are wise because we amass information. Basically, we get to thinking we’re smart. And when we overestimate ourselves, instead of navigating our lives with wisdom, we begin to navigate with pride.

And when we navigate with pride, we become blind to the facts. What we do is fail to consider those things that God has said in His word, and we begin to ignore those rules that God has established in nature.

Acts 27:9–10 NKJV

Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, saying, “Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives.”

Look again in v. 9 where it says, “sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over.”

When it says, “Fast”, it’s referring to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, a day where the Jewish people would fast and ask God for forgiveness and atonement for their sins.

Now, what this indicates is the time of year…showing us that it was late September or early October because that’s when the Fast was observed. During those months, the winds of the Mediterranean were now unpredictable. It was a dangerous time to sail.

1. There are certain laws that God has written into the fabric of the universe. (v. 9-10)

For instance, what’s going to happen if I take off my shoe and throw it into the air? Well, it’s going to come back down. Why? Because of gravity.

What would happen… if I decided I wouldn’t eat or drink anything for one week. Well, I would die. Why? Because I’d be dehydrated. My body would shut down, I wouldn’t make it. The human body needs water.

If I take my finger, and I hit it with a hammer, I don’t care how tough I am, it’s going to hurt! That is an example of what we call Newton’s third law, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

Now, there are all kinds of things that are true no matter how bad we don’t want them to be, things that God has made a part of our world, and we have to acknowledge those things.

When pride takes over, we begin to ignore these very basic laws of reality.

2. You must not be so prideful to think that you are the exception to these laws. (v. 4, 7-8, 11)

This was exactly the problem with these sailors and why they’ll end up shipwrecked at the end of this chapter.

Acts 27:11 NKJV

Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul.

Do you know what’s happening here? They believe that they are the exception to the rules.

Paul says, “Men, the wind has been increasing in unpredictability, we know that this time of year produces unpredictable winds, we ought not sail.”

The commander looks at the captain of the ship and the owner of the ship and they say, “Don’t worry about it, we can make it.”

Now, what they’ve done is they’ve ignored the evidence, they’ve ignored the laws of the universe.

Let’s back up to v. 4 because I want you to see how we arrived at v. 11.

Acts 27:4 NKJV

When we had put to sea from [Sidon], we sailed under the shelter of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary.

Cyprus was an island to the northwest of Sidon, and when they launched, the winds were blowing fiercely from the northwest, the same direction that they are trying to sail. So, Luke records that they used the island of Cyprus to shield them from the wind.

This means that instead of sailing directly to their destination, they had to north around this island, and follow the coast of Asia, south of modern day Turkey, to shield them from the wind.

So, they’re making all this justification, taking all of these difficult routes, simply because they are too prideful to realize they aren’t the exception.

It gets worse.

They are so prideful, they launch again from southern Turkey, and the wind forces them further south to the island of Crete. And when they get to Crete, they decide, “We don’t want to stay here, we want to go to a better place.” And what they want to do is just follow the coast of Crete to a better harbor to spend the Winter.

Now, this is when we get to v. 11 and Paul finally steps in and says, “We shouldn’t do this.”

They ignore his advice, and they set sail.

They’re acting contrary to wisdom, they are acting with pride…they believe they are the exception to the rules.

We act this way all the time.

Here’s how our pride works against us…

1 in 4 car crashes (25%), happen because of texting and driving…and in our pride we say, “That won’t happen to me, I got it.”

The odds of winning the Powerball is 1 in 292 million…and in our pride we say, “You never know, somebody has to win, it could be me!”

Here are the rules…

If you don’t work, you won’t have money.

If you spend more than you make, that makes you bad with money.

If you don’t have a good sleep schedule, you won’t have sufficient energy.

If you eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight.

There are rules that apply to everyone, you’re not the exception, no matter how smart you think you are.

Let’s talk about the spiritual aspects of this.

If you don’t read your Bible and pray, you’ll never grow spiritually.

If you watch garbage on television or on social media, it will darken your mind.

If you isolate yourself from other believers, you will suffer defeat.

And if you don’t guard your heart, you’ll fall into sin that you never thought you’d fall into.

You must navigate life with wisdom, and you cannot believe that you are the exception.

II. Navigate with Discipline

Acts 27:12 NKJV

And because the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised to set sail from there also, if by any means they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete opening toward the southwest and northwest, and winter there.

They’ve already recieved the warning.

There are circumstances and well-known evidences that have validated Paul’s concerns.

They are in a safe place…and in their impulsiveness, they say, “Where we are isn’t good enough, we want to be over there and we want to be over there right now, we don’t want to wait.”

1. Most of our problems come from a lack of self-control. (v. 8, 12)

Our problems come from impulsiveness, where we say, “I don’t want to wait, I want everything right now and I will do anything to get it, even make bad decisions.”

What are the ways we behave impulsively?

a. Materially

We live in a severely materialistic world.

Think of all the advertisements that we see…what’s their purpose? Their purpose is to make us act impulsively.

Do any of you remember when infomercials were the most common commercial on television?

What did they always say at the end of those commercials?

“IF YOU CALL RIGHT NOW, WE’LL THROW IN THESE 5 COLLECTABLE GOLDEN COINS WITH EVERY ORDER. CALL NOW SO YOU DON’T MISS OUT!”

They want you to buy impulsively.

Today, life is more complicated, they just listen to your conversations and then spam you on the internet.

I’ve been talking to Elizabeth about buying myself a nice watch for Christmas, and wouldn’t you know it, advertisement for watches are all over my computer and cell phone.

What it boils down to is we buy things we don’t need, with money we don’t have, because we can’t control ourselves.

b. Emotionally

We live in an emotionally immature world.

Society thinks that because they have a social media account that they have to put all of their opinions on there.

If something doesn’t go our way, we pout and scream like a spoiled child instead of just dealing with the issue.

I want you to realize that not everything that happens in your life warrants a reaction…I want you to navigate with discipline, not with emotional immaturity.

c. Physically

We live in a world filled with perversion, laziness, and with gluttony.

I’m ashamed to say this, but statistics show us that many men in this church are addicted to pornography or impulsively view it at least once a month.

The amount of people that won’t get up for work is astonishing…the amount of people that don’t engage in any kind of physical exercise is also astonishing.

When it comes to gluttony, in 1990, 11% of people were obese…now in 2025, 31% of people are obese.

We can blame it on the food, but I’m blaming it on the impulse…no one forced you to eat 6 dinner rolls on Thursday, that was on you.

Acts 27:13–15 NKJV

When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their desire, putting out to sea, they sailed close by Crete. But not long after, a tempestuous head wind arose, called Euroclydon. So when the ship was caught, and could not head into the wind, we let her drive.

So, here they are…they’ve behaved with pride…not with wisdom…and they’ve behaved with impulse..not with discipline…and now the fruit of their behavior is that circumstance is now driving the ship.

2. Behaving pridefully and impulsively causes unnecessary labor. (v. 16)

Acts 27:16 NKJV

And running under the shelter of an island called Clauda, we secured the skiff with difficulty.

When they decided they were going to sail from Fair Havens to Phoenix, they were so confident because of their pride…did so little preparation because of their impulse… that when they set sail, they left the safety boat, the skiff, down in the water beside them as they sailed.

When the winds began to drive…we get to v. 16 and it says that they “secured it with difficulty.”

You can ignore the rules all you want to, you have lack self-discipline all you want to…but eventually you are going to have to clean up the mess…and you will clean it up with difficulty.

One day the credit card statement will be too much to handle because you’ll have to pay it back.

One day the years of abuse in how you eat and how little you exercise will take it’s toll because your body has to be taken care of.

One day the lack of sleep or the excess of sleep is going to cost you dearly because God has caused us to need rest and work.

One day the inability to hold a job or the lack of foresight to invest in retirement is going to force you to work way past retirement age.

One day your lack of scheduling and time-management is going to run you into the ground, because you can’t please everybody and you can only be one place at a time.

It’s a fact of life, and it’s a matter of time.

I don’t care how smart you think you are or how tough you claim you are…you are not superman or superwoman, and the laws that God has fine tuned into this universe will not be outdone by your stubborn pride and your child-like impulsiveness.

But not only will behaving impulsively cause unnecessary behavior,

3. Behaving impulsively causes unnecessary waste. (v. 18-19)

Acts 27:18–19 NKJV

And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship. On the third day we threw the ship’s tackle overboard with our own hands.

What they are doing makes sense.

When there is a storm, the sailors will “lighten the load” to prevent capsizing and increase stability.

However, when you are on a long voyage like these men, you can’t afford to just throw things out of the ship and the waste is unnecessary.

Right now, I want you to think of all the time, money, and energy you have wasted on impulsive living.

It should sting.

How I wish that I would have taken the Bible and prayer as serious when I was sixteen as I do now.

How I wish that I would have paid as much care and attention to Ellie and Cash when they were born as I do now.

How I wish that I would have learned to manage my time, set healthy boundaries, and control my spending and emotional outbursts far earlier in life.

If I would have, then I would be much farther ahead than I am now, but I was too prideful to be wise and to impulsive to be disciplined.

I’ve wasted so much in my life.

And when we waste so much our lives, it leaves us feeling hopeless.

4. Behaving impulsively causes us to lose hope. (v. 20).

Acts 27:20 NKJV

Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up.

You may have been hopeless in the past, you may be hopeless right now, or you may be headed for hopelessness…But I want to tell you today that hopeless and helpless is the best place you can be when God is in the picture.

When you lose hope in yourself, then you open the door to hoping in God.

When you give up on relying on yourself, then you open the door to relying on God.

You see, something that might shock you is the way to navigate with wisdom and the way to navigate with discipline, is to get to hopelessness.

Why is that?

Because then, and only then, are we ready to listen to truth.

Wisdom and Discipline

III. Navigate with Truth

1. Listen to the voice that teaches God’s truth (v. 21-22).

Acts 27:21–22 NKJV

But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.

Paul says, “Why didn’t you listen to me?”

I’ll tell you why they didn’t listen…because they were full of pride and they were impulsive. It’s because we are good at taking the wrong advice, just like the commander.

For the life of me, I cannot understand why we want to take beauty advice from Hollywood when they are inwardly vile. I cannot understand why people take financial and investment advice from people who don’t have any money.

Before you take advice, no matter the advice, take it from someone you would aspire to be and take it from someone who will point you to Scripture.

Here’s the beautiful part of this text…even though they took bad advice, when they got to hopelessness, Paul was able to stand up and address them again, they were ready to listen to truth.

But I also want you to know that you can be ready to listen to truth without getting to hopelessness…

James 4:10 NKJV

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Humility doesn’t mean to be victimized, humility doesn’t mean to be taken advantage of…what humility means is to be teachable, to be wise.

To Navigate with Wisdom, we must learn God’s truth!

The most wonderful thing about the Bible is that everything that we need to course correct…everything that we need to set sail in the right direction is found here in the Bible.

John 17:17 NKJV

Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

Do you know what sanctification is? Sanctification means to become more like Jesus Christ. There is no one that was wiser and more disciplined than the Lord Jesus.

He was overtly and intensely dedicated to the truth of God’s word.

He studied it, He prayed it, He taught it, and He obeyed it…

Matthew 26:39 NKJV

He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

Jesus is there praying in the garden. They are on their way to bring Him to be crucified on a cross…He knows that He is going to die…and He knows that God has instructed Him to do it…

Pride would say, “You’re the Son of God, you’re heaven born, you’re a prince! You don’t deserve to die! Tell God no, and leave.”

Impulse would say, “I’m so scared, God! I’m sorry I can’t obey you, I have to leave!”

But wisdom and discipline says, “not as I will, but as You will, my God and My King.”

Proverbs 9:10 NKJV

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Translation: Listening to and respecting God’s truth is wise, understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ keeps up from impulse.

the voice that teaches God’s truth

2. Listen to the voice that expresses God’s encouragement. (v. 23-25)

Acts 27:23–25 NKJV

For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.

I can testify to you all day long about the goodness of God. I can even stand before you and declare that an angel of God has come and declared God’s hope for this world.

But I cannot force you to accept that encouragement, it’s something that you must receive.

I don’t want to discourage you this morning or get on to you. What I want you to do is thrive in your life. I want you to have a deep and meaningful relationship with the Lord Jesus. I want you to navigate your life with wisdom, with discipline, and ultimately with the truth found in God’s Holy word!

But, I cannot make you, I can only encourage you.

voice that teaches God’s truth

voice that expresses God’s encouragement

3. Listen to the voice that details God’s plan (v. 26-32)

Acts 27:26–32 NKJV

However, we must run aground on a certain island.” Now when the fourteenth night had come, as we were driven up and down in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors sensed that they were drawing near some land. And they took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and when they had gone a little farther, they took soundings again and found it to be fifteen fathoms. Then, fearing lest we should run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern, and prayed for day to come. And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, when they had let down the skiff into the sea, under pretense of putting out anchors from the prow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the skiff and let it fall off.

God’s plan was rescue…His method was to shipwreck them…because they brought themselves so far, the only way to bring them back was to let them crash.

Paul made this clear.

However, when God’s plan was put into action….the people panicked, the Bible says they took soundings.

What that means is they were measuring the distance from the bottom of the ship to the ground…and and what they found was the ground was getting closer and closer…and they started to get nervous.

Now, Paul has already told them that God is going to have them crash…but they measure any way…and when it’s found to be true…they start to get nervous.

The Bible says that the sailors told the captains, “We’re going to release anchors off the front of the boat to keep us from crashing” But what they did instead was they tried to escape by lowering that waterlogged skiff back down into the water.

Paul runs to the centurion and says, “If they leave now, they’ll die.”

“If they were wise, they’d stay!”

“If they wouldn’t be impulsive, they’d live!”

I’m not saying it’s easy to live in wisdom, I’m not saying it’s easy to live with discipline…I’m saying it’s necessary…it’s necessary. Instead of living and making a decision based on God’s truth, the men on the ship reacted out of fear.

Conclusion

1. Are you ready to sail in the right direction?

2. If you’re a Christian, you must navigate according to God’s Truth.

a. Navigate with wisdom, not with pride.

b. Navigate with discipline, not with impulse.

c. Navigate with truth, not with fear.

3. Do you need to accept Jesus today and get your bearings?

Here is how you can accept Jesus Christ today and begin navigating in the right direction.

1. Understand that He loves you.

2. Acknowledge that you’re sailing in the wrong direction.

3. Believe that Jesus is Who He says He is.

That He is the Son of God

That He died on the Cross for your sin.

That He rose from the grave.

That He is sitting in Heaven, and that one day He is coming back again.

4. If you want to trust Jesus today, pray this prayer and mean it.

Dear God,

I understand that You love me.

I acknowledge that I have made a mess of my life; I acknowledge that I have sinned against You.

I believe that Jesus is Your Son and that He died on the cross for my sin.

Today, I am trusting in Jesus to save me from my sin; come into my heart; cleanse me, change me, amen.

5. If you did that just now, will you come down to the front?