Trusting God through the test!

Trusting God through the test…

, “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.

“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.

One day, went I arrived home after a long day at work, my son Drew who was walking down the stairs from his room saw me as I had just open the front door. Suddenly, I heard a voice from above me yell, "Hey Dad! Catch me!" I turned around to see Drew joyfully jumping off the stairs straight towards me. In fact he had jumped and them yelled "Hey Dad!" This action became an instant circus act and lucky I caught him. We both fell to the floor. It took a moment but after I caught him I could hardly talk. But, when I found my voice again I gasped in exasperation: "Drew! Can you give me one good reason why you did that???" He responded with remarkable calmness: "Sure...because you're my Dad." You see his whole assurance was based on the fact that I was his father and I was trustworthy. Drew being the daredevil that he was felt he could live life to the hilt because he believed that I could be trusted. Isn't this even truer for a Christian? Christians, whose father is God and is holy, just and true!

In our text this morning we see yet another example of trusting our Father God as Paul his servant and his companions are headed towards a shipwreck. They have been toss to and fro for over 14 days on the sea and are seeking comfort and as well as God’s consideration and His control in their plight. God has spoken to them through his servant Paul and ensured them that their lives would be spared if they would just trust in His words; that He would catch them before the storm caught them up in the rocks just beyond the shore and bring them to safety.

Let us pray…

Trusting God through faith and not by sight.

The rest of chapter 27 demonstrates the fulfillment of Paul’s prophecy and shows that we can trust the very power of God in all circumstances. ‘It was on the fourteenth night;’ Luke continues here in verse 27a,we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea… We know from ancient sources that the whole sea as far south as Sicily, Crete, and west as far as Malta, all of it could be described as part of the Adriatic Sea at that time. Thirteen or fourteen days would be almost exactly the amount of time required to reach Malta from Cauda (476.6 miles) under these stressful conditions described. ‘…About midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land…’ This means that the sailors were certain that they were near land. Arriving at Malta, and possibly entering what is now called St. Paul’s Bay from the east, they would have passed within a quarter of a mile of the point of Koura and could have heard the breakers on the shore. 28, ‘They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet (forty meters) deep.’ Our text says the depth was (20 fathoms), a fathom is six- feet, so 6 times 20 is a hundred and twenty feet deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet (thirty meters) deep. What does it mean pastor to take a sounding? The phrase ‘taking a sounding’ means to use the process of determining the depth of water in a (1) tank (2) under a ship, or in the (3) sea. This lead line, which is a thin rope with a plummet or a weight at the end, was used to measure the depth of the water. Even in the dark, they could measure their rapid approach towards land. These measurements were important because as verse 29 tells us, And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. These anchors were intended to reduce the speed of the ship. Casting them from the stern, from the rear was an unusual procedure, but advantageous in these circumstances; for had they anchored by the bow, the front of the ship would have swung around from the wind, whereas now the bow kept them pointing to the shore. When these pagan sailors prayed for daylight, they were asking their gods to preserve them until they could evaluate their position and decide how to rescue themselves. It this not our natural instinct in regards to all things, we pray really depending on ourselves to solve our problems. So my brothers and sisters when these sailors dropped their four anchors they also dropped faith in what they could not see, and they prayed for daylight. As Christian we are called to walk by faith and not by sight!

Pastor, what does it mean to walk by faith not by sight?

says, "So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight." The word "walk" here is a metaphorical reference to the way a person conducts his or her life. We still use the phrase "all walks of life" to mean a variety of lifestyles or cultures.

The apostle Paul reminds his readers that followers of Christ must not build their lives around things that have no eternal significance. Rather than pursuing the same things the world pursues, a Christian should focus on the unseen realities such as Jesus and heaven. Paul goes on to say, "So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil" (). Jesus instructed us to store up treasure in heaven (; ). He promised rewards to everyone who does His will (; ; ) and punishment for those who reject Him (; ). Walking by faith means living life in the light of eternal consequences not just earthy circumstances! To walk by faith is to fear God more than you fear man; to obey the Bible even when it conflicts with the commands of men; to choose righteousness over sin, no matter what the cost; to trust God in every circumstance; and to believe God rewards those who seek Him, regardless of who says otherwise. , ‘And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Rather than loving the things of this world, we must love God more! , “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

Christians should spend their lives glorifying God in everything they do. It requires faith to live this way if we are see, hear, or touch anything spiritual. When we base our lives on the truth of God’s Word, rather than on the popular philosophy of our day, we are going against our natural inclinations and instincts.

Our natural instinct may be to hoard money, but walking by faith says we should give to those in need. , ”Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

God says as we give the continual nature of generosity will be rewarded. The result will be that all we give will be given (by God) in good measure (not meagerly), pressed down (filling all the space in the container), shaken (so that grain will settle and fill the container even more fully), running over (so that a rounded heap will form at the top). When it speaks of being in your lap, this means the folding of a man’s cloak with his arms underneath, forming a “container” that would hold the blessing being poured out by God. The words ‘For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you’ speak to the fact that God richly blesses such an attitude.

Our natural instinct and society says that sexual immorality is acceptable, but those who walk by faith base their standards on God’s unchanging Word, which says any sex outside of marriage is sin (; ; ).

Our natural instinct tells us to abandon a sinking ship but God tells us we can only saved it we remain on the ship.

To walk by faith requires that we tune our hearts to the voice of the Holy Spirit and the truth of His Word. It requires that we choose to live according to what God reveals to us, rather than trust our own understanding, and it requires that in all our ways we acknowledge that God knows what is best for us and can direct our paths.

We must always remember, our responsibilities are ours, but the events of lives are God's. When our faith goes to meddle with events, and to hold account upon God's Providence, or begins to say, 'O God how will You do this or that?' we lose ground; we have nothing to do there; it is our part to let the Almighty exercise His own office, and steer His own ship; there is nothing left for us, but to see how we may be approved of Him, and how we roll the weight of our weak souls upon Him who is God omnipotent.

We are called to trust God through faith and not by sight. We are called to trust God by staying with the ship.

Trusting God through staying with the ship

In out text we see that there is true danger lurking here, a danger far more serious that the danger of dying in a wrecked ship. It is the danger of disobedience before a Holy God. We see the first fruits of this disobedience revealing itself in the lowering of the four anchors of the ship, by trying to slow it down so that the sailors might launch an escape. Their actions are followed by what we see in the text of verse 30, ‘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.’

To stop the ship from being struck broadside by the waves, sailors in small boat could drop anchors from the bow. But these men were so worried about preserving their own lives that they were prepared to abandon ship. This would have left no one that was competent to guide the ship. As we relate this action to our circumstance today, the church of Jesus Christ is the moral anchor of our society. If we abandon the ship seeking safety the very vessel of we call America will have no one to steer or guide it. In truth, it would probably have been suicidal to head for the shore in such conditions. The centurion and the soldiers finally began to take notice of Paul when he said to them, 31a, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” This was practical wisdom—not a new revelation— this was consistent with God’s promise to save all who sailed with him. If a significant number of sailors left the ship, they would all perish. When we look at the interplay of human responsibility and God’s will and His promise in this context. We call also see in our current context the need for the Church of Jesus Christ to continue to act as a ark used to housed those who have accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ and those who will. Our human actions as Christians are to be working toward the rescue of all people through the proclamation of the gospel. This is God’s will for us and it does not change just because of a current crisis. Right now we find ourselves in tense times, we find ourselves being challenged to hold together, and we find ourselves being tempted to abandon the ship. But God has promise all those who trust in Christ, all those who are called by His name, and all those would preserve until the end will be saved. , The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful- for he cannot deny himself.”

, “But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.”

So even though as the church we are being scattered into our own homes and away from one another we must remain a church and remain on the ship. During this time apart we must intentionally work to grow closer to one another, to serve one another, to pray for one another, to check on one another, and to support one another and the church monetarily like never before. We should not follow the example of this soldiers who were rash and mistrusted the very promise of God and placed their own safely at risk. Remember these words, ‘there is no situation I can get into that God cannot get me out of.’ When I came to this portion of the text I was reminded of a story my friend Richard who is a pilot once share with me.

Some years ago when Richard was learning to fly, he said to me that his instructor told him to put the plane into a steep and extended dive. He was totally unprepared for what was about to happen. After a brief time the engine stalled, and the plane began to plunge out-of-control. It soon became evident that the instructor was not going to help him at all. After a few seconds, which, must have seemed like eternity, he said his mind began to function again. Then he quickly corrected the situation.

After they landed, Richard immediately turned to the instructor and began to vent his fearful frustrations on him. His instructor very calmly said to him, "There is no position you can get this airplane into that I cannot get you out of. If you want to learn to fly, go up there and do it again." Richard shared with me this statement, which I have always remembered. He said, at that moment God seemed to be saying to him, "Remember this, as you are serving Me, there is no situation you can get yourself into that I cannot get you out of. If you trust me, you will be all right." That one statement, that one lesson from Richard has been proven true in my ministry many times over the years. We need to know today what Paul and those men found out, that we can trust God through the storms of life to bring us to safety.

Trusting God through the storm will bring us to safety.

When they cut the 32 ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall away, they made it impossible for everyone to get ashore in small groupings on this craft. This action ultimately contributed to the loss of the ship, since it soon became necessary to beach it.

33Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. His calm demeanor reflected a persistent trust in the promise of God about their impending deliverance and the safety of their lives. He began by reminding the whole ship’s company of the stress they had been under, saying, 33b‘Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food’. Then he urged them ‘to take some food’, arguing, for it will give you strength, physical strength, ‘You need it to survive’ ‘for this is for your welfare’). Then he adds this assurance, 34b‘ For not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you’. Paul applies a biblical maxim to the situation in which they found themselves. This assurance is found throughout the Old and New Testaments.

, ‘Then the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel? Far from it! As the LORD lives, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.” So the people ransomed Jonathan, so that he did not die.

, “This will be your opportunity to bear witness. Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives.”

Our sovereign God knows every hair on our heads and vows to protect them.

35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. Paul initiated this meal in Jewish fashion by giving thanks to God in front of them all. Doubtless this phrase “giving thanks to God” meant they entered into prayer. Prayer that included thanks for the deliverance experienced so far and for the prospect of rescue to come. Giving thanks for food and protection in this fashion was another brief moment of public testimony to the living God. Paul’s action here was fundamentally an encouragement for this needy group of soldiers, sailors and voyagers to eat (They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves) and to be grateful to God in the process.

Luke then records the number of those who were involved (altogether there were 276 of us on board), indicating that Paul was dealing with a large company of people. This gives the impression that Paul’s ministry of encouragement was essentially to the unbelieving soldiers and sailors who were in charge of the situation. Paul inspired them to act decisively and courageously for the benefit of all. The result was that 38, when they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea. This action would have given the ship a better chance of passing over the shoals—without its cargo weighing it down—and being safely beached. So, we see here that Paul’s gratitude and trust became infectious. O’ would God during these times of exile make our faith and conversations with others about Jesus Christ infectious. As these sailors and others took heart and ate they were showing the first signs that they too believe in the promise of God.

When 39,daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach. There they decided to run the ship aground if they could. Three actions were necessary to achieve the goal of docking the ship. First, they had 40, to cut away the anchors (Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea). Then, at the same time, they ‘loosening the ropes of the steering paddles’ untied the ropes that held the rudders). Finally, to accelerate their progress, they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. Though ultimately ill fated, the ship was nevertheless driven to land in a readied and controlled manner. Unfortunately, coming ‘into a place between two seas frustrated them’. 41a, But striking a reef, they ran the vessel aground… At the entrance of St. Paul’s Bay, ‘there is a shoal; a shoal is a place where a sea or river waters are shallow. It is a sandbank or sandbar that is exposed above the water at low tide. Despite the best efforts of the sailors to preserve the ship and those who sailed in it, 41b, ‘the bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf.’ That made it necessary for all to swim to shore.

Now all the attention now turns to the soldiers, who saw what was coming and 42planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. The soldiers, like the sailors, forget in the crisis that God’s promise is for all, yet they plan to save themselves by eliminating others. It is also possible that they were concerned to avoid punishment for allowing any prisoners to escape. Luke portrays the fallibility of professional sailors and soldiers in the face of danger, while Paul remains calm and trusting. While the soldiers had heard Paul address them on several occasions during the voyage and even followed his directions, they seem not to have been impressed by him as the centurion was. Julius wanted to spare Paul’s life. 43a, ‘ But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan… The centurion’s trust in Paul and his admiration for him seem to have developed during the journey. Paul is a benefactor of the others on this voyage, but he is also benefited. Indeed, all the prisoners were preserved because the centurion wished to save Paul, and so 43b, he ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. The rest were to get there on planks or on pieces of the ship. This part of Luke’s travel narrative finishes with a further reference to salvation: In this way everyone reached land safely. Luke wants to convey the idea that God saved Paul and all who were with him from perishing, in fulfillment of the promise given in v. 24. In various ways, the whole narrative (27:1–28:16) points to God as Creator and Saviour, and to Paul as his prophet or representative.

David, was a 2-year old with leukemia, his mother, Deborah, took him to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, to see Dr. John Truman who specializes in treating children with cancer and various blood diseases. Dr. Truman's prognosis was devastating: "He has a 50-50 chance." The countless clinic visits, the blood tests, the intravenous drugs, the fear and pain--the mother's ordeal can be almost as bad as the child's because she must stand by, unable to bear the pain herself. David never cried in the waiting room, and although his friends in the clinic had to hurt him and stick needles in him, he hustled in ahead of him mother with a smile, sure of the welcome he always got.

When he was three, David had to have a spinal tap--a painful procedure at any age. It was explained to him that, because he was sick, Dr. Truman had to do something to make him better. "If it hurts, remember it's because he loves you," Deborah said. The procedure was horrendous. It took three nurses to hold David still, while he yelled and sobbed and struggled. When it was almost over, the tiny boy, soaked in sweat and tears, looked up at the doctor and gasped, "Thank you, Dr. Tooman, for my hurting." In these current days as we are asked to distant ourselves from one another: the pain of the loss of our Christian fellowship and mentoring of each other is sometimes unbearable. But if remember that God is using it all to make us better, stronger as absent makes the heart grow fondly, and if we can just remember that He loves us. Then we can accept the pain as we await His promise, because our hurting tells He loves us.