Hope When the Sun Doesn’t Shine
Notes
Transcript
Intro: Theme/Topic (What’s the problem, the question, etc.)
Have you ever noticed how powerful a single light can be… when everything else goes dark?
In the first The Lord of the Rings movie, there’s a moment where Frodo is preparing for a journey he doesn’t fully understand—and certainly can’t control.
Before he leaves, the lady Galadriel gives him a small gift—a glass phial.
Inside it is light captured from a distant star.
And she says to him:
“May it be a light for you in dark places… when all other lights go out.”
It’s a simple gift.
But it’s meant for a very specific moment—
the moment when everything else fails…
when every other light has gone out.
Because the truth is…
we all face moments like that.
Moments when:
The direction you thought you had—disappears
The strength you thought you had—runs out
The hope you thought you could hold onto—starts to slip away
Moments when it feels like all other lights have gone out.
But unlike Frodo… we don’t have phials with the light of distant stars in them.
So the question for us is:
What do we do when all hope feels lost?
What do we do… when the sun doesn’t shine?
Let’s turn now to God’s Word and see how our text today answers this question…
Please turn with me to Acts 27:1-44. If you need to use a pew Bible, you’ll find today’s text on page 1112.
While you’re turning there, let me quickly orient anyone just joining us for the first time. Because we’ve been in the book of Acts for about a year and a half and we are so close to the end…
The book of Acts tells the story of how the risen and ascended Jesus continues His work through His people by the power of the Holy Spirit—spreading the hope of the gospel from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.
And one of the central figures in that mission is the Apostle Paul.
Paul was once a fierce opponent of Christianity, but after encountering the risen Christ, he became one of its boldest messengers—traveling all over the ancient world, proclaiming the good news about Jesus.
But that mission came at a cost.
By the time we reach Acts 27, Paul has been arrested for preaching the gospel. He’s been falsely accused, imprisoned, and after a series of trials, he has appealed his case to Caesar.
And now, he’s being transported to Rome as a prisoner.
But what begins as a routine journey… quickly turns into something much more.
Scripture
Now let’s pick up Paul’s story from there. Please stand with me out of reverence for God’s Word, if you are able, and follow along with me as I read...
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.
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.
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.
And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us.
And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia.
There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board.
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.
Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.
Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over, Paul advised them,
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.”
But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said.
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.
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.
But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land.
And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along.
Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the ship’s boat.
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.
Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo.
And on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands.
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.
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.
Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.
For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship,
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.’
So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.
But we must run aground on some island.”
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.
So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms. A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms.
And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come.
And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the ship’s boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow,
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 ship’s boat and let it go.
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.
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.”
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.
Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves.
(We were in all 276 persons in the ship.)
And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.
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.
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.
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.
The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape.
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,
and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land.
This God’s Word!
Prayer
Father, may Your Word powerfully work its way into our hearts this morning to revive our souls with your great and precious promises. We ask this in Christ’s name — AMEN!
Intro: Formal (give context to passage, setting the scene, big idea)
What we just read is the account of a journey that spirals into chaos.
What began as a routine voyage…
became a violent storm.
This voyage to Rome would have typically taken about 5 weeks…
but it would talk Paul over 4 months!
Days pass… then weeks…
The wind is relentless.
The ship is breaking down.
The crew is exhausted.
They haven’t eaten.
And eventually, Luke tells us:
“All hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.”
No sun.
No stars.
No sense of direction.
No reason to believe they would survive.
They are hungry…
They are helpless…
And they are hopeless.
And maybe you’ve been there before.
Not on a ship in the middle of the sea…
But in a moment where everything feels out of control…
Where the future is unclear…
Your strength is gone…
And hope feels like it’s slipping through your fingers.
So let’s come back to that question we asked earlier:
What do you do when all hope feels lost?
And the answer Luke shows us in our text today is…
When all hope feels lost, take heart by hearing God’s voice, anchoring your soul in His promises, and acting in faith.
And that’s exactly what we’re going to see unfold in this passage through three movements:
When Hope is Gone, Hear God’s Voice
When God Speaks, Anchor Your Soul
When You’re Anchored, Act in Faith
And as we walk through this together, we’re going to see that even when the sun doesn’t shine…
even when all hope seems lost…
God has not gone silent.
His promises have not failed.
And faith still moves us to action.
When Hope is Gone, Hear God’s Voice
When Hope is Gone, Hear God’s Voice
As the ship left Fair Havens against the warning of Paul, that violent northeaster begins to beat down on their ship!
The wind and the waves are pounded this ship—driving it further and further out into the open sea.
The crew is throwing cargo overboard…
then equipment…
anything to keep the ship afloat.
And then Luke tells us something truly terrifying in verse 20:
They had not seen the sun or stars for many days.
Now remember, for sailors—those weren’t just pretty lights in the sky.
That was their navigation system!
Which means… they have no idea where they are.
No idea where they’re going.
No way to get their bearings.
They are completely blind…
battered…
and helpless.
Verse 21 adds insult to injury when Luke tells us they hadn’t eaten for many days.
Then in verse 20 he says:
All hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.
Don’t miss that.
They didn’t just lose cargo…
They lost hope.
And Luke includes himself in that statement!
Now here’s what struck me as I was studying this…
For many people—this isn’t just a story about sailors at sea.
This is how they feel about life.
Drifting.
Trying to stay afloat.
Doing everything they can to hold things together…
But deep down—they don’t know where they are…
They don’t know where they’re going…
And they have no real assurance that they’ll make it.
And if you were to ask them:
“Do you think you’ll go to heaven when you die?”
The best they can say is: “I hope so.”
No certainty.
No confidence.
No anchor.
Just…“I hope so.”
And that’s a terrifying place to live!
Because that means you’re navigating life the same way these sailors were—
without light…
without direction…
and without assurance.
But it’s into that moment—
when all hope is gone…
That God speaks.
Verse 24 tells us that God sent an angel in the night with a message for Paul:
Now I don’t think that message came out of nowhere…
I think it came in response to prayer.
When the angel says, “God has granted you all those who sail with you,”
that language suggests Paul had been asking.
Pleading even.
Interceding for his life—and for everyone on that ship.
And that makes perfect sense when you consider Paul’s past.
This wasn’t Paul’s first storm! Just listen to him in his own words, recount his many trials to the Corinthian church…
[I have had] imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death.
Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.
Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea;
on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers;
in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.
Paul knew what it felt like to be at the end of himself.
And listen to what he learned in those moments:
For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.
Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.
Don’t miss that.
Paul says there was a purpose in the despair.
A purpose in the storm.
To teach him to rely—not on himself—but on God.
And I’m convinced…
That Paul did not forget to pack that lesson in his carryon for his voyage to Rome!
So when everyone else is panicking…
when everyone else os giving up…
Paul says, “I know this place.”
“I’ve been here before.”
“And I know what to do.”
So, he seeks the Lord.
And God answers.
Now today—we shouldn’t expect God to send us an angel with a message for us.
But that does not mean God is silent.
Because right now—we hold in our hands a priceless treasure:
The very inspired Words of God!
Church, God still speaks today…
Through His Word…
By His Spirit…
And notice WHEN He speaks here in Acts 27…
Not in the calm.
But in the chaos.
I’m all for quiet times with the Lord—
in the morning…
with your coffee…
in the stillness.
But don’t make the mistake of thinking that’s the only place God speaks.
When the conditions are right…
The house is quiet…
The coffee is hot…
No, God also speaks…
When your life is falling apart.
When your plans unravel.
When you feel out of control.
When the hammock is wrapped around a tree…
and the coffee is cold and shattered on the ground.
Even there—God speaks.
So don’t run from God in the storm.
Run to Him.
Seek Him.
Open His Word.
Listen for His voice.
And remember this:
What feels like chaos to you…
may actually be a gift from God.
Because sometimes…
God will bring us through scary trials FOR THIS PURPOSE — That we would lose hope in ourselves…
And learn to place greater hope in Him.
And when hope in ourselves finally dies…
We’re finally ready to hear real hope from God.
And it’s in those moments—
when self-reliance is gone…
God speaks.
And when God speaks, Paul shows us what to do next…
When God Speaks, Anchor Your Soul
When God Speaks, Anchor Your Soul
Look again at what God says to Paul in verse 24:
“Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar…
Do you hear what God is doing?
He’s reminding Paul of a promise He has already made.
Remember back to Acts 23, when the Lord told him:
“Take courage… you must testify also in Rome.”
In other words:
“Paul—you’re going to Rome.”
Which means…
This storm cannot stop you.
You will not go down with this ship, Paul!
Things may look bad…
But God says: “I’ve got you.”
And look at Paul’s response in verse 25, when he says:
“I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.”
Don’t miss that.
Paul doesn’t say, “I have faith things will work out.”
He says:
“I have faith in God.”
Do you see the difference?
Paul is not saying, “I hope this works out.”
He’s not crossing his fingers…
He’s not guessing…
He’s not wishing…
He knows.
He knows where he’s going.
He knows who made the promise.
And he knows that God will keep it.
And that’s the kind of hope the Bible offers.
Not “I hope so…”
But “I know so.”
And that’s exactly what the writer of Hebrews describes:
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,
Church, the hope we have in Christ is that sure and steadfast anchor for our souls!
And this is exactly what we see happening on this ship.
Verse 29 tells us the sailors drop anchors into the sea…
Out of fear.
They’re trying to stabilize the ship.
Trying to hold things together.
Trying to survive the storm.
But Paul’s anchor isn’t in the water.
It’s in the Word of God.
And that’s the difference.
Because everything else in this story is unstable:
The winds are shifting
The waves are crashing
The ship is breaking apart
But the promise of God is UNSHAKABLE!!
And that’s still true for us today.
The storms of life are unpredictable.
Our circumstances are constantly changing.
But God’s Word…
Is fixed.
It’s firm.
It does not move.
Listen to how certain these promises are:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you…
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Church that’s not “maybe.”
That’s not “hopefully.”
That’s certainty!
So let me ask you:
What is anchoring your soul right now?
Is it your circumstances?
Your feelings?
A certain outcome you’re hoping for?
Because if your hope is anchored to anything that can change…
your soul will drift.
But when your hope is anchored in the promises of God…
you can stand firm—even in the storm.
And here’s what’s so important:
When you’re anchored like that…
it doesn’t just steady you—
it changes how you live.
It frees you from panic.
It frees you from control.
It gives you courage to act.
Because God’s promises don’t make obedience unnecessary…
they make obedience possible.
And that’s exactly what we begin to see next…
When your soul is anchored in God’s promises…
you don’t just survive the storm—
you start living differently in it.
Let’s consider this now…
When You’re Anchored, Act in Faith
When You’re Anchored, Act in Faith
Now look at what happens when Paul anchors his hope in the promises of God.
He doesn’t become passive.
He becomes active.
First, in verse 21, Paul stands up among them and says:
“Take heart.”
Think about that. Everyone else has given up…
But Paul speaks hope.
And not vague optimism—
He speaks of a God-centered hope.
He tells them why they can take heart…because:
“God has granted him all those who sail with him.”
But then look he says next in verse 26:
“But we must run aground on some island.”
Do you see that?
Paul trusts God’s promise…
But that doesn’t make him passive.
It makes him purposeful.
This is so important, because:
God’s promises don’t make obedience unnecessary—
they make obedience possible.
We see it again in verse 34.
Paul urges them to eat:
For not one hair from their heads is to perish.
Do you see it?
Eat… because God promised.
Act… because God has spoken.
And then in verse 35—
Paul gives thanks to God publicly…
in front of everyone.
Now don’t miss this.
Paul doesn’t preach a full sermon here.
But he also doesn’t hide his faith.
He uses the moment…to point people to God.
And notice what happens back in verse 32.
When the sailors try to escape in the lifeboat…
Paul warns the soldiers:
“If they leave the ship—you will not survive.”
So what do the soldiers do?
They cut the lifeboat loose.
That sounds reckless…
Unless they believed what God told Paul.
Then in verse 38—after they eat—
They throw the rest of the food overboard. Why?
Because they believe what God told Paul.
They know this is not their last meal.
Do you see what’s happening?
Starting with Paul…
and spreading to everyone else…
People are acting like they believe God.
Because real faith…Rearranges your life.
So, let me ask you:
Do your actions reflect what you say you believe?
Because what you’re anchored to…
will always show up in how you live.
So where do you need to re-anchor your life today?
Are you weighed down by guilt and shame from your past?
Then set your anchor in this promise:
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Are you walking through deep sorrow?
Then cast your anchor into this promise:
Psalm 34:18
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
Are you afraid to obey God because of what others might think?
Then re-anchor your hope in this promise:
Isaiah 41:10
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.
Anchor your soul there.
And then—Act in faith.
And here’s where this becomes very personal.
Because Paul knew something the others didn’t.
He knew where he was going.
He had a promise from God—
That he would make it to Rome.
But for many of you…
When you think about standing before God one day…
When you think about eternity…
The best you can say is: “I hope so.”
No assurance.
No certainty.
And maybe life has felt like that storm—
You’ve been beaten down…
Blown off course…
The lights have gone out…
And you don’t know where you are…
Or where you’re going…
Listen to me:
You don’t have to live like that!
You can have the same kind of assurance Paul had.
Not because of who you are—
But because of what God has promised in Jesus Christ.
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
And maybe you’re here today…
and you’re not sure you even know Jesus.
If this is you, you need to understand this:
Your greatest problem is not the storm around you—
It’s the sin within you.
Your sin has separated you from God.
And left to yourself…
Your life will end in eternal shipwreck.
But the good news is that God has not left you without hope.
Jesus Christ came…
lived a sinless life…
died on the cross for your sins…
and rose again—
so that you could be forgiven…
restored…
and brought safely home.
And here is God’s promise to you:
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Everyone.
No matter your past.
No matter your failures.
No matter how far you’ve drifted.
Even you.
So don’t keep trusting your own wisdom.
Turn from self-reliance.
And trust in Jesus Christ today.
Call on Him.
And He will save you.
Then, only in Christ you can say:
I know where I’m going!
And for those of you who already know Him—
Act like you believe Him.
Take that step of obedience you’ve been avoiding.
Speak about Him when the opportunity comes.
Trust Him in the storm you’re in right now.
Because when your soul is anchored in God’s promises…
you won’t just survive the storm—
you will live differently in it.
Conclusion/Response (Gospel & Repent/Believe)
We began today looking at that moment in The Lord of the Rings…
When Galadriel gave Frodo that small phial of light—
And says:
“May it be a light for you… when all other lights go out.”
And later in the story…
There comes a moment when all hope seems lost.
Frodo is surrounded by darkness…
No way forward…No strength left…
And in that moment—
He reaches for that light.
Church… that’s what we’re talking about today.
But we don’t have a phial with the light of a distant star…
We have something better.
When the sun doesn’t shine…
When the storm won’t stop…
When all hope feels lost…
God has given us His Word.
He has given us His promises.
And in Jesus Christ—
He has given us a hope to be a sure and steadfast anchor for our souls.
So what do we do when all hope feels lost?
We take heart.
We hear God’s voice…
We anchor our souls in His promises…
And we act in faith…
Because when the darkness closes in…
you don’t look within—
you reach for what God has given you.
You take hold of His Word.
You cling to His promises.
You trust in Christ.
Because when all other lights go out…
It’s the Word of God still shines.
Prayer
Father, when the sun doesn’t shine and our hearts are tempted to lose hope, thank You that You have not left us in the dark.
You have spoken.
You have given us Your promises.
And in Your Son, Jesus Christ, You have given us a sure and steadfast hope.
So help us, Lord, to seek Your voice in the storm…
to anchor our souls in what You have said…
and to act in faith, trusting You in every step.
And now, as we conclude by lifting our voices in praise,
fix our eyes on our King—
the One who came to save,
the One who reigns,
the One in whom all our hope is found.
We ask all this in Jesus’ name — Amen!
Closing Song: Hosanna Loud Hosanna
Closing Words:
Church, what a joy to lift our voices and cry out together, “Hosanna—save us, we pray!”
And the good news we’ve seen today is this:
God has answered that prayer.
He has sent us a Savior in Jesus Christ—
the One who speaks into our darkness…
anchors our souls in His promises…
and leads us forward in faith.
So now the question is:
How will you respond?
If you’re here today and you’ve never trusted in Christ…
Don’t leave here still drifting.
Turn from your sin.
Turn from trusting yourself.
And call on Jesus Christ today.
He will forgive you.
He will save you.
He will bring you safely home.
If that’s you, we would love to talk and pray with you. There will be some people up front after the service, that would love to help you take that first step of faith today!
And for those of you who know Christ—
What is your next step of faith?
Do you need to follow Him in baptism?
Take a step toward membership in this church family?
Deepen your joy in Christ through discipleship?
Or step into serving others with the gifts God has given you?
Church, don’t just hear God’s Word today—
Act in faith.
You can take that next step by filling out a Next Steps card and dropping it off at the Welcome Counter, and we’ll connect and walk you through taking that next step.
Now as you go…Remember this:
When the sun doesn’t shine…
You carry the hope of Christ with you.
So go into this world that often feels dark and uncertain—
And be people who:
Hear God’s voice
Anchor your souls in His promises
And act in faith
Bringing the hope…and the light of Christ
To everyone you encounter this week.
BENEDICTION: Romans 15:13
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Amen! — Church you are sent!
