Misc. - "Sustained in the Storm" - Acts 27

“Sustained in the Storm”

Good morning, Church!

If you have your Bible with you this morning, I want to invite you to open up and turn to Acts chapter 27. Acts 27.

A little boy walked down the street, clutching his dad’s finger. Along the way, the boy slipped, lost his grip, and fell. His father picked him up and they continued along. It wasn’t long before it happened again. His father picked him up again, but the next time, the boy said to father, “Instead of me holding your hand, you should hold my hand.” The father took the son by the hand. He did not fall again. In a greater, deeper, higher way, God is able to keep you when you cannot keep yourself.

1. Introduce what’s going on.

Luke tells us specifics about where exactly they sailed.

Paul has been arrested and has already stood before Festus and Agrippa. He appeals to Caesar and is now being taken from Caesarea to Rome.

They jump on a boat, traveled along the coast of Asia, around the island of Cyprus.

Luke and Aristarchus are with him and they are being detained by a centurion (roman solider in charge of 100 men) named Julius.

The next day they landed at Sidon, where the centurion Julius allowed Paul to go to his friends so that they could provide for his needs.

Then they sailed on to Myra where the centurion found a larger grain ship that was sailing for Italy and transferred all 276 passengers onto this vessel.

Verse 7 tells us that from there they made slow headway for many days and they finally made it to Cnidus. Because the wind wasn’t cooperating they sailed to the left of Crete (which meant that the island was hit by the wind first and they weren’t as affected by it). They continued to move on, still with difficulty and arrived at Fair Havens. But Luke explains in verse 9 that a lot of time had passed and it was now past the Day of Atonement, which meant it was late September or October and past the time of year they should be sailing.

So Paul told them in verse 10 that they should just stay in Fair Havens for the winter because the voyage was going to be disastrous if they continued on. But the centurion decided to listen to the pilot and the owner of the ship rather than Paul and they decided to sail on to Phoenix, which was a better harbor to spend winter in. And this is where we start learning from the negative example of the men on the boat.

This morning’s passage is a well known story. It’s a story that was Divinely Inspired. It is a story of rescue. It is a story of the Way Maker sustaining Paul and 275 others in a storm. This is a passage that is fun to read, talk about, and preach on.

This is a straight-forward, whatcha see is whatcha get kind of story.

There are four spiritual applications from this real life storm story. What are they?

1. The Rejection of Counsel

A truck driver was taking his load to a new destination. As he drove, he was intently watching the signs leading to his exit. In his effort to find the right exit, he missed the signs warning him of a low overpass ahead.

To his astonishment, his truck became stuck under the overpass. He could not go forward and he could not back up. Traffic began to back up and tempers began to flare. The police were called, wreckers were summoned and an effort began to free the stuck truck.

They tried tow trucks, wenches, grease, pulleys, wedges and anything else anyone suggested. Nothing worked. The hours passed and the truck remained just as stuck as ever.

By this time a considerable crowd had gathered to watch the workers in their attempts to free the truck. In that crowd was a little boy who was riding his bicycle over the overpass. He had stopped to watch the show, and after a few minutes, he called out to one of the policemen below.

He said, “Hey officer, I know how to get that truck out from under that bridge.”

The policeman looked up, but ignored the little boy.

The boy, wanting to help, cried out louder, “Hey officer, I know how to get that truck out from under that bridge.”

With a hint of irritation in his voice, the police officer said, “Okay young man, tell me how.”

Without a pause, the little boy said, “Let some of the air out of the tires.”

That’s what they did and the truck was able to pull free.

Why do people ignore Godly counsel?

Why do people ignore Godly preaching?

People are Impatient

v. 9 - much time was spent sailing.

People are Influenced

verse. 11 - he paid attention to the captain and owner of the ship

The Majority ruled

verse 12 - “more part advised...” - majority decided

People like Comfort

verse 12 - the haven was not commodious to winter in

People trust Circumstances

verse 13 - “south wind blew softly

2. The Reaction to Consequences

Notice:

a. They Notice It

Hmmmm… where’d that south wind go?

b. They Try to // Prepare for it (v. 17)

they went a long way

c. They Get rid of stuff (v. 19)

v. 18 - Threw out cargo the next day

d. Lose hope (v. 20)

Sometimes it to get us to the end of ourselves.

3. The Report from the Christian

Now Paul is about to speak up.

Illustration...

Notice:

a. Message of Compassion

Compassion not condemnation

verse 21-22 - I told you so, “but let me give you encouragement.”

b. Message of Credibility

verse 23 - “whose I am, and whom I serve.”

“whose I am and whom I serve”

I love this, because this is a dig at how Julius and the other members on the ship viewed his opinion earlier.

paul doesn’t claim to know everything about nautical sailing. He doesn’t claim to be the best general.

Yet he gives his credentials as this: “I belong to the wind and wave maker. I belong to the One that can stop this hurricane right now.”

Paul remembered his identity in Christ… he had nothing left to prove.

c. Message of Confirmation

verse 24 - “Fear not, Paul; you will be brought before Caesar.”

Acts 23:11 KJV 1900

11 And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

Verse 25 - “for I believe God.”

This is More than a Storm

God cares about People

God cares about His Purpose