Shipwrecked| Acts 27:10-44| Kathryn Alban

Intro: 

The book of Acts was written by Luke, in order to give an accurate account of the birth and growth of Christianity. 

We will be looking at Acts Chapter 27, this story takes place right after Paul’s 3rd missionary journey…

Paul is put on trial by Jews, who grew angry with Paul sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Due to Paul being a Roman citizen, he is put on a ship to Rome in order to bring his case in front of Caesar. 

Interestingly enough, this is a first-hand account by Luke, so he too is on the ship.   

Paul begins this journey with over 200 other prisoners heading from Jerusalem to Rome.

Show of hands how many of you use some kind of GPS?

I’ve lived in Sussex County for 8 years and I still have to put Rehoboth into my GPS to make sure I am going where I need to.

What is nice about most GPS systems is that it will catch the conditions of your route before you take it. It shows if there will be traffic, if there is an accident, if there is a police ahead, if there is flooding or debris on the road.

But imagine you were about to head out for a trip, you get into the car, plug in your destination and the GPS gives all the warnings.

But the person in the passenger seat is telling you you will be fine. So, you start driving.

The title of today’s sermon is Shipwrecked. And my first point is

HOW

The time they were to sail was October… which was a very dangerous time to sail.

And similar to a GPS giving all of the warnings, Paul warns against continuing through these dangerous waters… 

Acts 27:9–12 ESV

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.

So they continue on despite the dangers ahead of them. And these many prisoners, sailors, and guards traveled on, hoping to have a smooth sail to the next Island… 

Read Acts 27:13

Acts 27:13 ESV

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.

At first everything is good...BUT

Acts 27:14 ESV

But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land.

Isn’t this how life sometimes goes. We are going through our lives, doing what we need to, then we feel like God is telling us something. It could be through his scripture, a sermon, music, another christian....and then we are faced with a choice.

Do we listen, or do we continue to go where we want? When we choose our own desires it might be great and calm at first, but there is always a reason for God’s instruction. We see that throughout the bible. And in our lives, if we are listening to God, there is always a reason for what he instructs as well.

Sometimes our own decisions lead us to rough waters...

Acts 27:15–20 ESV

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.

Our next point is:

2. Damage Control

The storm starts, like Paul warned, and they have no other choice than to take the waves that were created by their own decision.

Last time I was in Ohio visiting my sister the world cup was going on. We looked at the weather, knew that it might start raining, but we really wanted to have a fire over at Camerons house, and watch the world cup.

So we had the whole set up. The outdoor patio chairs, the fire pit with smores, chicken wings, Cameron went through the trouble of even pluggin up a tv outside.

Everything was good then, one rain drop fell, and another, and another.

What did we do? Just sit out there in the rain and let the furniture and tv and chicken get ruined?

No, we all started grabbing the cushions, the food, and the tv to make sure nothing got damaged.

Those on this ship also were reacting to the situation they had put themselves in by taking steps to make sure the ship remained unharmed to save their lives.

They do this in a few of ways.

They get thick rope to pass along the bottom of the ship to keep all of the wooden boards held together, basically they wrapped the ship in rope. This made it stronger through the waves.

They lower the gear, meaning they took down the ships sails so the wind wouldn’t drive them further to danger.

They started throwing overboard the ships tackle, which is the equipment used to operate the ship...ropes, sail equipment and so on.

They were doing whatever it took to stay alive.

In life we too might get caught up in storms. It could be from our own choices, or sometimes it is not...

BUT how will you react?

Matthew 7:24–25 ESV

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

Just like the crew, we can take steps in life to make sure that we are not damaged under hardship.

Maybe that means strengthening yourself in the areas where you know you are weak? Could be through friends, seeking pastoral guidance, reading God’s word, prayer.

Maybe that means taking down your sails, taking away your wants for life and the direction you want to go in order to follow God?

Maybe that means throwing things over board, letting go of what we should not hold onto anymore and allowing God to take control?

3. TRUST IN DIRECTION

After being thrown around by the storm, facing fear, danger, damage...The men finally start to trust in Paul.

Still in the storm they take some time not to focus on their fear and the danger around them but to focus on gaining energy for survival.

Acts 27:25-26,33-38

Acts 27:33–38 ESV

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.

They basically had one more big meal to gain some strength before facing survival or death.

What is interesting is that in the midst of this storm and fear Paul sets an example of giving thanks to God before eating. And because of that they all ate and were encouraged.

Sometimes it takes one person to stand up and begin setting an example of others to be encouraged to follow.

They then were determined not to stay out in that storm ⛈ anymore.

They threw over the rest of their food after. All of them where determined not to stay on that ship anymore.

 Illustration: When the Lights Go Out

Have you ever been in a house when the power suddenly goes out during a bad storm?

It's dark outside. The wind is blowing, the rain is coming down, and suddenly everything goes black.

If there are children in the house, what often happens?

They get scared. They start asking questions. "What's happening? When are the lights coming back on? Are we going to be okay?"

And sometimes, the more frightened one person becomes, the more frightened everyone else becomes.

But imagine a parent standing up, calmly grabbing a flashlight, lighting a few candles, and saying, "It's okay. We're going to be alright. Let's get something to eat and sit together."

Notice something.

The storm hasn't stopped. The electricity hasn't come back on. Nothing about the circumstances has changed.

But the atmosphere in that house begins to change.

Why?

Because one person decided not to let fear determine how everyone else would respond.

And I think that's exactly what we see Paul doing in Acts 27.

For fourteen days, these men had been surrounded by uncertainty and fear. They were exhausted, hungry, and probably wondering whether they would ever see land again.

But Paul stands up and does something unexpected.

He tells everyone to eat.

Philippians 4:6–7 ESV

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Then, in the middle of this terrible storm, he takes bread and gives thanks to God.

Conclusion: Let’s see how it ends

Acts 27:40–44 ESV

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.

They don't recognize where they are, but they notice a bay with a beach and decide to try to run the ship onto it.

To do this, they:

Cut loose the anchors that had been holding the ship in place.

Untied the ropes that secured the rudders so they could steer again.

Raised the foresail to catch the wind and move toward shore.

What's interesting is that they were no longer trying to continue their journey to Rome. They were simply trying to reach safety.

They had a destination in mind, but the storm had completely changed their plans.

Sometimes in life, we have a picture of how things are supposed to turn out. But circumstances force us to change our plans.

 What I think is the most powerful lesson from the ending

Throughout Acts 27, the sailors did everything possible to preserve the ship.

They strengthened it with ropes.

They lowered the gear.

They threw cargo overboard.

They dropped anchors.

They did everything they knew to do to keep the ship from falling apart.

But in the end, the ship still broke apart.

And yet, everyone survived.

There's a powerful spiritual lesson here.

Sometimes we spend so much time trying to hold things together in our lives.

We try to hold our families together, our finances together, our plans together, our careers together.

We pray that God will preserve everything exactly as it is.

But sometimes things still fall apart.

And when that happens, we begin to wonder whether God has abandoned us.

Yet Acts 27 reminds us that God's faithfulness isn't determined by whether the ship stays together.

The ship broke apart, but God kept His promise.

A sermon illustration you could use

Imagine someone who loses their job after years of faithfully working for a company.

They've done everything right. They've worked hard, shown up on time, and given their best.

Then one day, the company announces layoffs, and their position is eliminated.

Everything they worked to build suddenly feels uncertain.

At first, they may wonder, "God, where are You? Why would You let this happen?"

But over time, they begin to see that even though the job was lost, God had not abandoned them.

Perhaps He provides through their church family, opens another opportunity, or gives them strength and wisdom to navigate the uncertainty.

The job may not have been preserved, but God's presence and faithfulness remain.

And that's the difference.

We sometimes confuse God's faithfulness with God preserving the things we depend on.

But those aren't always the same thing.