The Anchor in the Storm

Scripture: Acts 27:1-27

We read in Acts chapter 27 that Paul was in a ship in a monstrous storm. He had already warned the Captain that if they continued this journey that it would end badly, but who knows that the world will not listen to a crazy Christian?

Acts 27:1-26

They had thrown overboard all their belongings and the ships tackle and now with everything gone they despaired of their lives. It was so dark and stormy that they could not even see the stars at night or the sun in the day!

Many of you know what it is like to be in the middle of the storms of life and after staying strong for many weeks, you cant carry on, you just want to give up! All hope is gone, all hope of being delivered, is gone there seems to be no way out and now you just say please Jesus just take me I cannot go on any longer, Lord please just take me now! Please take me from the earth. Even Elijah felt like that under extreme persecution.

Act 27:27

Then the sailors heard the sound of water breaking on the shore and they began to drop ropes with weights on them to measure the depth of the sand below them and they could feel they were coming close to shore and disaster awaited them.

It was the midnight hour, how many of you are at your midnight hour there is no more time left to pay the rent, to overcome the sickness, to get a lost spouse back again, to find an errant child! Tick Tock, Tick Tock everything is almost lost. We cant see the sun and moon and stars and we lie awake on our beds and we are frightened by our situations! And there seems to be no hope! I think everyone here knows exactly how these sailors felt and most of us have been in the middle of a storm like this.

The sailors knew they were getting closer and closer to the shore so instead of being dashed upon the rocks:

Act 27:29

In the midst of the storm they threw out four anchors to stop the ship crashing on the rocks and to hold the ship steady. There was nothing else they could do but cast out the anchors. You know we need anchors in our storms. We all need anchors to stop us drifting off the path! We have seen in our own nation and in many other nations how we have cut our anchors and we are adrift in the sea of life. We have cut the anchor of morality, there is no more right and wrong, murderers are released while people protecting their families are locked up; we have cut the anchor of authority, look at our students today, we have cut the anchor of Gods Word, there is no prayer in nations assemblies, we have cut the anchor of Christ and our nations sail adrift heading for disaster. Even in our own Lives we have cut our anchors and we drift aimlessly in our own destinies with no anchor we will soon dash upon the rocks unless, we cast out four anchors when we are in the middle of the storm!

Prayer:

Act 27:29

Even the sailors were praying! How many of you know that when faced with certain death there are few atheists. We need to pray not gentle, soppy prayers but lift up our voices to heaven and call upon God to help us. We need to get alone with God and cry from the bottom of our hearts for deliverance. Sometimes we need to fall on our knees and weep and cry with all our hearts.

Jas 5:17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months

Elijah prayed earnestly- which means serious and determined! When we are in our storms we need to get on our knees and knock on heavens door with determination. Lord I need help and deliverance! I need it now –all is lost and I don’t know what to do!

Start with repentance, ask first for forgiveness for all our sins and name them to God alone and determine not to do them again. That will give you legal right to prayer with a clean conscience and allow your prayers to be heard in the ears of God.

Then call out to God and ask specifically for Him to deliver you. Be specific, if the problem is financial ask for financial deliverance, if sickness then healing-be specific! I heard the story of Kenneth Hagin the prophet. He had a sickness that killed people at an early age. One day he died, he must have been about 19 years old and when his spirit left his body he went on down straight to hell, He said when he died his mother called on God so loudly that traffic stopped for two blocks away and three times he died and went down to hell and three times she prayed him up again and on the third time he said he was saying the sinners prayer as he came into his body, and he was saved and healed. Pray like that! Charles Finney said pray like a mother prays for her child-when the child is sick she continually prays to God, Oh Lord my child is sick please help him, OH Lord can you hear how my child is coughing please help him, she is praying heartfelt prayers! Pray with your whole heart and you will be casting out an anchor. Amen!

The Word.

The only thing we can be sure of in this world is that Gods Word is a Rock on which we can stand and an anchor that can never break.

When the storms of life smash your life and all thing are uncertain and you are in a very scary place, cast out the anchor of faith in Gods Word. That means you take a Scripture pertaining to your situation and you lay it before the God of Heaven and say Lord your Word says –I will be delivered!

Paul was able to take heart because he had a Word from God!

Act 27:22

Act 27:23

Act 27:24

Gods Word is absolute and certain, in your storm get hold of your Bible and in the middle of madness, read the Word of God till faith is born in your heart, read it and find promises from God to help you in your situation. I think most of our Bibles should be tear stained and well worn. When you find a promise from God write it down and stick it on your mirrors and keep it in your pockets so you can read it again and again!

Don’t forget to throw out the anchor of Gods Word!

Fellowship

When you are in your storm turn to other Christians and allow them to pray for you and stand on Gods Word with you and even fast with you. Humble yourself and go to another believer or your leader and ask for help in prayer.

Note James 5: 14 –say let Him call for the elders.. it is a humbling experience to call for the elders or others and ask for prayer.

Jas 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed…..

When confronted by the storm of addiction or sin ask for prayer and confess your FAULTS to one another not necessarily a list of your sins and find healing. I once knew a terrible drug addict he had a sentence of 9 years for 58 burglaries from drugs and I led him to Christ, but he could not overcome his addiction. But one day in a prayer meeting he confessed his fault to us and we prayed for him and he was healed on the spot!

One of us will put a thousand to flight and two of us shall rout evil principalities- Get Fellowship!

Act 27:33

Act 27:34

Act 27:35

Act 27:36

Let other believers break bread with you! You are not designed to operate on your own, you need the church, because the church is the body of Christ and if the toes hurts our hands go immediately to the toes!

Obedience

It was Gods will that they shipwreck on the island in the end. Paul had told the Captain that the ship would be lost:

Act 27:22

Act 27:26

If in our storm we see sometimes we are about to lose everything, do not panic, your life and your future is in Gods hands. Sometimes in a storm we lose our businesses or a relationship, or a job, but the worst thing you can do is panic, you are not your own you are bought with a price, you are owned by God, you are not your own property, God will care for you –you my friend are not alone!

1Co 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

1Co 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

When we go through a terrible storm we might lose much, our jobs, our goods even family members, but we do not know the future but we know who holds the future!

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Sometimes your character building is more important than your wealth or your comfort and God has to allow us to go through a storm so we can throw off all the unnecessary baggage in our lives.

So when the sailors had calmed down they put their trust in Pauls words:

Act 27:38

Act 27:39

Act 27:40

Act 27:41

Act 27:42

Act 27:43

Act 27:44

The devil still tried to destroy Paul even as they got to the island but God did not allow it and they came safely to shore. Friend if you will put your trust in God and cast out your four anchors and put your faith in God you will arrive safely no matter what you lost! When Paul arrived on the island of Malta a very poisonous viper bit him and Paul just ignored it and cast it in the fire. When the locals saw it they thought he was a god but once Paul had straightened it out and given God the glory there was a great revival on the island and many people gave their lives to Jesus Christ!

When I am down and, oh, my soul, so weary;

When troubles come and my heart burdened be;

Then I am still and wait here in the silence,

Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;

You raise me up to walk on stormy seas;

I am strong when I am on your shoulders;

You raise me up to more than I can be.

My FRIENDS TRUST GOD, CAST OUT YOUR ANCHORS AND PUT YOUR FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST AND YOU WILL FIND SAFE HAVEN IN YOUR STORM, from God who is a very present help in times of trouble.