An Anchor for the Storms of Life - Acts 27:1-16

“An Anchor for the Storms of Life”

Acts 27:1-26

©Copyright 2004 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche, February 29, 2004

A number of years ago Maggie and I had the joyful opportunity to spend a week in Hawaii. One of our first stops was Pearl Harbor. It is a beautiful place. We took the boat ride out to the Pearl Harbor memorial. What a sobering experience that was. The memorial is built on top of the remains of the USS Arizona. The realization that we were standing over the grave of hundreds of soldiers caused people to speak in hushed tones.

A shipwreck is a horrible and devastating tragedy. Whenever you think of shipwrecks you can’t help but think of the 1500 people who died when the Titanic sank. Shipwrecks must be horrifying experiences.

In 2 Corinthians 11:25 Paul relates his experience. He said, “Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,” Paul wrote these words before the events of Acts 27 and 28 took place. None of those other shipwrecks is recorded for us.

This morning we are look at the remarkable details of this harrowing voyage at sea. Chapter 27 begins, “When it was decided that WE would sail for Italy”. This is Luke’s way of telling us that he (along with Aristarchus) accompanied Paul on the journey.

A man by the name of James Smith carefully examined the details of this shipwreck and wrote a book called “The Voyage and Shipwreck of St. Paul”. Smith concluded,

No sailor would have written in a style so little like that of a sailor; no man not a sailor could have written a narrative of a sea voyage so consistent in all its parts, unless from actual observation. [cited in Boice, ACTS p. 410]

The details recorded by Luke regarding route and the actions of the sailors in the storm were all accurate. That’s what makes this passage so riveting.

This morning we are going to survey the details of the story and then draw some important applications for how we can find strength to face the various storms of our life. Most of these storms won’t be on the high seas. The storms most of us will face will have to do with circumstances, relationships, money, health and possibly those who oppose the message of the gospel.

THE STORM

The very first verse of chapter 27 reveals that a decision had to be made between sailing to Rome or traveling to Rome on foot. It was Paul’s practice to walk when he was going West and take a ship when he was going east. The winds made it difficult to go East a good portion of the time. In the fall (which is when this account seems to take place), the winds could be especially brutal. The Roman centurion decided it would be better to go by sea. It’s likely he had many other prisoners that he was caring for and a boat provided an easy confinement.

If you look at a map and follow the course the ships took you see that these ships stayed as close to the land as possible because the land served as a natural wind break. When they arrived at Myra the Centurion decided to get on a larger grain ship to make the more dangerous voyage across the Adriatic Sea.

The kind of ship that they would have traveled on would have been a pretty good size. However, the ship would not have had a rudder but would have been steered by two great paddles coming out of the back of the boat on each side. The one sail made it difficult to sail against the wind. These ships were at the mercy of the weather. Because of the winds the ship had to change course and head to the island of Crete.

The Warning After a great deal of struggle, the boat made it to the south side of the island of Crete and docked at the town of Fair Havens. Paul, who we must remember was an experienced survivor of shipwrecks, told the men in charge, “ “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” (v. 10) The text doesn’t say this message was from the Lord, but it might have been.

The people making decisions ignored Paul’s counsel and decided to try to make it a little further west (probably 50 miles or so) across Crete to the port of Phoenix. Their reasons for making this risky venture were simple: 1) the pilot thought they could make it (I imagine these pilots were like contemporary truck drivers; they didn’t like delays, and when they stopped, they liked to stop certain places.) 2) the port in Phoenix was better than the port in Fair Haven at which to winter. 3) the majority agreed 4) they received a favorable wind which seemed like a sign to move forward. Under the circumstances, we might have done the same thing.

The Winds As the boat tried to turn Northwest toward Phoenix, Luke tells us that a hurricane force wind surprised them coming from the north and east and blowing them away from Crete and out into the sea. They stowed the boat they were dragging behind them (usually for passengers to get on and off) and put the ropes around the ship to help hold it together.

This area was notorious for shipwrecks. The shore of North Africa had crumpled many a ship by it’s shifting sandbars and rocky coast. Knowing this, the men dropped their anchors hoping to save the ship and themselves. They started tossing anything non-essential overboard to help lighten the ship so it could better ride the waves. The storm lasted for days and the passengers and crew were becoming hopeless. In verse 27 we are told that their ordeal lasted for better than two weeks. For two weeks they endured thunder, lightning, gigantic waves, darkness, soaked clothes, panic, intensity, seasickness, and fear.

PAULS’ ENCOURAGAGEMENT

Somewhere in this time the apostle Paul spoke to his shipmates,

Listen! Luke tells us,

21 After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23 Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.” [Acts 27:21-26]

It sounds like Paul is saying, “I told you so!” However, it is more likely that Paul is establishing his credibility. In other words, Paul is saying, “I was right about the inadvisability of leaving Fair Havens, so listen to what I have to say now.” Surely, everyone was on edge. Paul’s reminder of his previous warning, made him credible.

God Stood by Me What powerful words these are, “an angel of the God whose I am and whom I have served stood beside me.” Most likely Paul was praying. God heard Paul’s prayer and encouraged him with an angelic visitor. At this time when everyone on board certainly came to feel God had forgotten them, Paul told of an angel from God. This angel reaffirmed God’s love and God’s plan for Paul to testify in Rome.

Not One Will Be Lost. The message of the angel was not only for Paul, it was for everyone on the ship. Because of God’s love for Paul, Luke and Aristarchus, God would also save everyone else that was on the ship. When God blesses his children, the people of the world benefit as well.

APPLICATIONS

Let’s draw some practical principles from this story that will help us in the storms of our lives. We will follow the principles with a simple checklist for the storms of life.

God Understands Our Storms. When the hard times come in our lives it is easy for us to think that God does not understand what we are going through. That is not true. He endured the hatred of the crowd, the punishment of the authorities, and His devastating death on a cross. He understands what is like to feel deserted and abandoned. He knows hurt. The book of Hebrews reminds us, “we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” [Heb 4:15,16]

Our Response to the Storms May Impact Those Around Us The people on the boat with Paul were saved because he belonged to the Lord and served Him. Because Paul trusted the Lord and sought Him in prayer, others were blessed and spared. The blessings of God overflow to others. Think back to the story of Sodom and Gommorah. God told Abraham that he would spare these cities if he could find only 10 righteous people there! Unfortunately, ten people could not be found.

I believe America has experienced blessing not because we are better than other nations. I believe we have been spared judgment because of the faithful Christians in our land. Out of love for His children, God has refrained from judging the wicked.

Some Storms are Self-Inflicted. It must be stated that this particular storm was because the sailors and Centurion would not listen to Paul’s counsel. If they had listened we would have been reading accounts from Fair Havens rather than the hurricane in the High Seas.

Many of the storms of our lives come because we turn away from the wise counsel of Scripture.

Marriage problems sometimes develop because a couple ignores the counsel about not being yoked together with an unbelieverFinancial problems develop because we refuse to “be content with what we have”Teenage pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and many abortions come because the command to “flee youthful lusts” were ignored.We sometimes face job problems because we refused to pay honor to those who were above us.Think of the many problems that develop when we lose our temper

The list goes on an on. If you find yourself in a self-imposed storm, like Jonah, you need to first repent. Rather than blame, you must confess.

Often we are caught in storms that are not self-imposed. Paul did not have a choice. He had to go with the ship even if it was going against the advice of the Lord. Sometimes we are victims. There are those who are victims of crimes, assault, manipulation, and false accusations. Some face injury because of those who were careless, (like a drunk driver or someone talking on a cell phone while driving). Others get diseases because of poisons that were hiding in their workplace. These people did nothing to cause their affliction.

Much of the time there is not explanation for why we are suffering. Why does one person get cancer and another doesn’t? Why does one person develop heart disease and another seem immune? Why is one person killed in a car accident and another walks away without a scratch? Why do some people have to deal with emotional issues such as depression, panic attacks and mental illness?

In the cases when storms are not self-inflicted, we must hold on to God’s promise that He will never leave us or forsake us. We hold on to the promise that “all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” It is not that all things ARE good . . . .all things are being used for a good end.

Dr. Donald Gray Barnhouse and his wife used to have the perfect litany for each other when one or the other displayed a lack of faith over some problem. One would say to the other, “Well, we think that all things work together for good.” At that, the other would be brought up short and would say, “For we know that all things work together for good.”

STORMS CANNOT HIDE GOD’S FACE In the midst of the high seas, at a time when the sailors and passengers on the crew felt they were lost and no one would ever be able to find them, the Lord sent His angel to stand with Paul. God never loses track of us. Things are never so bad that God cannot find us. In the midst of our storms we must remember that God is near. We may not sense Him. We may not see any evidence of His nearness. However, God is not far away. He never loses sight of one of His children.

STORMS GIVE US OPPORTUNITY TO WITNESS TO AND SERVE OTHERS Our trials are often used by God to refine our character. These times of trial also give us unique opportunities to testify of the Lord’s great faithfulness. It is easy to dismiss the pious words of one who has never been tested. It is much more difficult to dismiss the one who remains faithful even in the furnace of affliction.

In the storms of life God often provides a platform for us to share the faith with those who would not listen under any other circumstance. We may come in contact with a different audience or our words may carry a new significance.

So Let’s summarize. Let’s be very practical. What should we do in a time when the storms of life are raging? Here’s a seven-point checklist:

1. Pray. We must be honest with God about our fear, our bewilderment, and our hurt. This is often very difficult to do because we are, quite frankly, mad at God. However, He is our greatest source for help, we must turn to Him rather than away from Him.

2. Trust God’s Word. It would be nice if there were always an angel that appeared every time we had a difficult circumstance. That generally won’t happen. Rather than look for the extraordinary work of God we must trust the Word and promises of God. He told us: He would never leave us; He would supply our need; He would give us strength; Nothing would separate us from His love; He would lead our paths if we trust Him; and He would work for the good in every circumstance. It is our job to trust His promise.

3. Repent of any known sin. We must always consider the fact that the storm in our life may be something we are causing by our behavior. Perhaps we brought on the storm by our attitude, our attempt to manipulate a situation that backfired, our failure to fulfill our commitments, our impulsiveness, our lack of self-control, our disrespect, our arrogance, our jealousy, or our sinful choices and actions. Sometimes the quickest way to overcome a storm is to deal quickly and decisively with the cause of the problem. Do what you can to right and wrong you are responsible for.

4. Give God Time. Remember, Paul was on the sea for “many days” before he received the word of the Lord. Joseph was in jail for many years. Abraham waited almost a lifetime for God to fulfill His promise of an heir. God’s delays are purposeful, even if we don’t understand them.

5. Look for an Opportunity to grow or minister. There is value in every difficult time. These times may give us new insight into ourselves. They may open a door for us share the gospel in a new and more effective manner. They may turn us from a dangerous course. They may introduce us to new people. There is always something to learn from the storms of life. Be attentive and available.

6. Keep your eyes on Jesus. When you feel you cannot endure any more, remember what He endured for you. When you feel that God must hate you, remember that Jesus gave His life because of the Father’s love for you. When you feel the storm is about to overwhelm you, remember the picture of Jesus walking on the water and calming the storm tossed seas. When you feel that nothing good can come out of the horrible circumstances of your life, remember the resurrection that followed the cross.

7. When possible, prepare for the storms ahead of time. Many of you are doing a good job putting money aside in case of a crisis (others of us aren’t doing such a good job). Most of us carry insurance policies for the calamities of life. We have a network of friends and family that we can lean on in tough times. Some have generators and a stockpile of food. However, many of you are neglecting to establish and strengthen your relationship with the Lord. To neglect such a think is like the school that put in an elaborate sprinkler system but it burned to the ground and it was discovered that no one hooked the water to the system.

Paul did not develop his relationship with God during the storm, it was established long before the storm ever hit. Paul did not have to look up the promises of God. He knew them. No one had to teach him to pray for it was the practice of his life. So, I encourage you to truly trust Christ as your Savior and Lord. Stop putting this matter off until another day. Begin your life-changing relationship with Christ today! Take deliberate steps to learn everything about the Lord that you can. Make time for prayer, worship, and Bible Study. Do your best to apply His truth in your daily living.

Like it or not, the storms will come to our lives. The people who survive will be those who have made sure that their anchor is secure.

©Copyright 2004 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche, February 29, 2004