Ashore and Assured

It's hard to imagine out of all the things that you have been through that you are not dead yet. You swam to safety when others that you were drowning you grew past a hurt because of the absence of love. However you have become calloused to the sweet whistles of admiration. You have become waterlogged and cold and pnumoneus to life as your lungs have filled with the fluidy pus of subconscious negative thoughts which then produce behaviors that once were hidden but are not in full view needing the very oxygen it has deprived your lungs from breathing in. It is a slow seepage of a sewered cocktail that you continue to order more of. It has now locked itself into the inner fortress of your mind and heart. But there is God that through all of your struggle and your pain, through all of the pride that swells within for protecting yourself from the hurt. There is a God that will cause you to stand when all thought that you would fail. Whether we want to believe it our not at some point in life, because of our sin we have thought things that were not promised to be in our lives. We need you to give us the happenings of our lives. Leaving nothing to chance but placing it all in your hands. Leading us to a shore that though sometimes may be full of accusation but one we can live and proclaim the name of a God that we are assured in our faith that loves us.

Turn with me in your bible to the book of Acts and if you are still in worship go ahead and be free Act 28:1-6

After we were brought safely through, we then learned that the island was called Malta. 2 The native people showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. 3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. 4 When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

Then Move down to verse 21-31

21 And they said to him, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. 22 But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.”

23 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:

26 “‘Go to this people, and say,

“You will indeed hear but never understand,

and you will indeed see but never perceive.”

27 For this people's heart has grown dull,

and with their ears they can barely hear,

and their eyes they have closed;

lest they should see with their eyes

and hear with their ears

and understand with their heart

and turn, and I would heal them.’

28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”

30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.

In this passage we find that the Apostle Paul and his fellow prisoners and passengers and crew all 276 of them have made it to the shore. If you were not here in January, well you weren’t because we were all snowed in…you will know that I preached on the subject of being Shipwrecked: Severed, Silent and Sutured. Well this is Part 2 to that sermon. Shipwrecked: Ashore, Accused, and Assured. Let us Pray.

In Part one follow me here is a bit of a recap chapter 22 to get the full scope of what is going on. He was instructed by his followers not to return to Jerusalem for trouble would await him there. Not listening to the Christians in Tyre Paul continued on through his own will. He would then be arrested again and speak to the angry mob in Jerusalem. In chapter 22 He tells the mob about his background establishing trust speaking of his heritage as a Jew, he tells of his experience on the Damascus road, they riot he is arrested and punished by scourging but escapes by revelation of his dual citizenship as a Roman. Paul had been through the hands of many who had not found him guilty of sedition which is conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch. He then calls on the heritage of him as a Pharisee to divide the Sanhedrin to keep them from forming against him to kill him. Jesus comes to him and tells him to be of good cheer, for Paul had been discouraged for a missed opportunity to preach to the Jews and for them to come to Christ. He then tells him, he will bear witness in Rome. But how? He can barely get out of Jerusalem alive, he escapes to Caesarea with army assistance to Felix the governor. Who does not decide on Paul’s fate and sends him to Festus and Paul says I appeal to Caesar. King Agrippa and Bernice come to visit, and having no jurisdiction and only influence, Agrippa who he himself had almost been convinced to serve Christ finds no fault in Paul and would release him to appeal to Caesar. Paul gets on the Alexndria a grain boat in the custody of Julius the Guard along with Luke the author of this book and Aristarchus. You will find that though he may have been in chains Paul had favor to have companions along the way. He tells them not to go for there is trouble ahead but he is also assured by the comfort that the angel of God told him Don’t be afraid that he would stand before Caesar, in God’s goodnes he tells Paul that all will be saved if they all remain on the boat as some of the Roman Soldiers got hasty to want to jump ship but Paul said I believe god and it is good that he did because the ship would run aground and they would all have to catch planks or debris broken from the ship and all 276 of them made it to where we are now in chapter 28 MALTA!

The bible tells us that the native people were kind to them and it was cold and rainy. Paul being now the chief witness and servant of Jesus, would be doing what most would find out of character; he would be working gathering sticks to kindle a fire. Paul would then lay the sticks down on the fire and a viper grew from the fire and bit him on the hand. How rare for that kind of snake during that time of year and in that type of weather to leap and then latch onto Paul. They would then assume that Paul was a murderer for surely God did not kill him at sea so this is where he would meet his death. They know no wicked or crime would go unpunished so they assumed that Paul was meeting the wrath of God. However Paul shook of the viper back into the fire from whence it came and was unharmed. Leaving the people who were nice but assuming What Happened to you? Isn’t that the question of many concerning you who are sinful. They will remember who you used to be assuming that it is who you still are. See Paul was trying desperately to save people who did not want to be saved with the word of God and all they could do was assume he must have been wicked since he was a prisoner. People assume that you must be worthless because you keep sinning in what they think is not end in sight not even knowing the storm that you have already been through to make it to the shore! Carrying people with you who don’t even like you who are at times against you yet God tell you to take them along for the ride so that you all will be safe. Only to meet new people and they ride with what they think they know and will be like what the bible said these people did. They waited for Paul to Swell and die! And after they waited a long time! You are ashore now and the people who come to your aid with their assumptions of your sin see you survive after the attack of the enemy waiting for you to swell up and die! Waiting for you to keel over waiting for you yo lose your very life! Guess what they will wait a long time. Because there is a God who is mighty to save, there is a God who sent his son to cleanse me so I am made new. That which once held me and tried to kill me has no more power so keep on waiting and while you are waiting he is saving. Leaving people to ask What happened to you God is what happened to me Paul said he believed God and surely God would not let him get to the shore to be taken out by a snake.