The Mission: Trust God Who Always Keeps His Word (Acts 27)

Jonathan Douglass

Acts: The Mission of the Church • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago

Acts 27:1–28:10

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Introduce next series:

Practical Christianity “Faith meets Feet”

What is “Faith”? Is it simply a group of ideas that make up our belief system or is it something more? Does “faith” mean to us a “conviction held so deeply that we cannot do anything but act on what we KNOW to be true”?

“Feet” Are our feet simply earthly body parts that take us from place to place or are our feet prepared to take the Gospel of Peace because our faith compels us to?

I desire that this “Practical Christianity” series helps narrow that gap between our faith and our feet. Is says...

Isaiah 52:7 ESV

7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

Do you know that most of the NT was written to close that gap between faith and feet? Knowing how to apply what we know to be true is an incredible challenge. Our mission means very little if our feet are not willing to walk where Jesus walked. I hope you get excited about where we are going and I encourage you to invite your friends, neighbors, family to join and learn with us!

Intro Sermon:

This morning, we are going to see how Paul’s faith was MUCH more than a simple set of religious beliefs. He loves Jesus so much that his faith was connected to his feet. His faith caused his feet to be firmly rooted, so to speak, onto the deck a storm-tossed ship, so as we prepare to dig into Acts 27, I’ll ask this question...

Does anyone else get frustrated, discouraged, or angry when someone does not do what they said they would do?

Sometimes people break their promises deliberately. Other times, people might have simply forgotten they made a commitment. At other times, people rationalize their commitments away. Let me tell you a story about one such person who could have rationalized away a promise, but who instead kept his word.

In his book, “Up from Slavery” Booker T. Washington described his encounter and conversation with an ex-slave from Virginia.

Booker discovered this man made a contract with his master, two or three years before the Emancipation Proclamation. Booker wrote, “I discovered he was permitted to buy himself by paying so much per year for his body; and while he was paying for himself, he was permitted to labor where and for whom he pleased.

Finding that he could secure better wages in Ohio, he went there. When freedom came, he was still in debt to his master some $300. Notwithstanding that the Emancipation Proclamation freed him from any obligation to his master, this black man walked the greater portion of the distance back to where his old master lived in Virginia, and placed the last dollar, with interest in his hands.

In talking to me about this, the man told me he knew that he did not have to pay his debt, but that he had given his word to his master and his word he had never broken. He felt that he could not enjoy his freedom until he had fulfilled his promise.”

What if people today never broke their word? Unfortunately, today, many people have never met someone like that freed man, but you and I have. We have met God and we know He always keeps his word! This morning we are going to see how one man believed God always does what he says and how that one man’s belief in God’s unwavering promise saved the lost in his life.

The first section in Acts 27 is about the...

The Cruise (27:1-12)

Lets read about it from...

Acts 27:1–12 (ESV)

1 And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for.

4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.

9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said.

12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.

We learn several things from these verses. First...

Paul was not alone: (Luke was with him. God was with him.)

Luke had been an eyewitness to at least the last two of Paul’s trials and in chapter 27, he used the words “we” and “us” at lease 17 times. Perhaps other close friends were with Paul, but Luke, at least was with him. God blessed Paul by providing at least one very close human companion to be an encouragement.

Luke was not the only one with Paul. God was also with him. We will see this in the coming verses when an angel delivered a message from God to Paul. We also know the Holy Spirit was Paul’s constant companion and the Holy Spirit is our constant companion as well.

We need to know we are not alone!

Think of a time when you went through a very difficult situation. Maybe you are going through that very difficult situation right now. In stormy times, we are often easily tempted to believe Satan’s lie that we are alone and isolated. Maybe we truly don’t have a single human companion by our side, but God will never leave us or forsake us. Paul didn’t need human companions, but those companions were certainly a great blessing to Paul. Even if Luke was not with Paul, evidence proves that God was enough for Paul. He was so aware of God’s presence that abundant joy splashed out of his life onto every other person in this chapter.

God was enough. We must grasp this truth and never let go of it for it is the truth our mission is built on.

We discover another truth in these verses...

The sailing season was over. (vv4-9)

Between November and March, the Mediterranean sea was very dangerous. In fact, this is one of the main reasons I decided to read every verse in this chapter together during the message this morning. We need to try to understand just how difficult that voyage was in chapter 27. When we try to understand just how intense Paul and Luke’s trial was, we can better appreciate Paul’s joy, and Luke and Paul’s obedience.

In verse 4 “the winds were against them.” In verses 7 and 8, sailing was “difficult” then in verse 9, “much time had passed and the voyage was dangerous.”

This brings us to the third truth. Verse 10 is the first glimpse of this truth in this chapter and it sets the tone for Paul’s following decisions.

Paul deeply cared for the lost. (vv9-10)

If you will, please follow along in Acts 27:10 “Paul advised them saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.””

If we read this one verse and ignore the context of the whole chapter and the whole of Acts, we might assume Paul was afraid for his life. But remember, Paul had previously stated that he counted his life forfeit. He was ok with dying. He was prepared to die. He longed to never be separated from Jesus.

So when we consider Paul’s words in verse 10, Paul’s main thought was for the 265 other people on the ship who had likely not accepted Christ’s forgiveness of their sins. He was concerned that a foolish leadership decision might rob all those people of the opportunity to accept Christ’s forgiveness of their sins. Paul was probable deeply grieved at the thoughts that all those people would likely spend eternity separated from Christ, so he pled for their lives.

Paul’s gut instinct is quite remarkable. Think about that great stormy time you have gone through or are going through right now. Even though life was uncomfortable for Paul, he deeply cared for the lost!

We need to have deep compassion for the lost around us! (even in stormy times!)

I could spend a long time on this point, my hope is that when I write these “we need” statements is that you will connect with them. That you will think, “yes, I need that” and cause you to meditate and search these truths out for ourselves throughout the next week.

When intense, stormy times overwhelm our lives, how do we instinctively think of others? How much of those stormy times do we mope about thinking of our own discomfort? This is where that theme of deliverance comes into play again. Paul’s soul was held fast by God’s promise: he knew where he would spend eternity, so when he clung to God’s declared promises, he acted as God wanted him to act. Paul believe God is the redeemer of souls. Paul was absolutely convinced that God held his soul, that storm created spiritual warfare and Paul overcame. We will see proof from Scripture as we move through our text this morning.

How many of us can say we kept Paul’s focus during the most recent, intense storm in our lives? We can do better! We can be like Paul and rest peacefully on God’s promises, and to call upon the full power of the Spirit in us to proclaim Christ’s salvation to the lost who are hurting far more than we are. I think that is possibly the key here. In stormy times, when we are in intense pain, we have a helper, a companion, we know where we are going, but what about the others? They don’t believe God’s promises and they don’t cling to God’s promise of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Their need is far greater than ours. If we truly believe God’s promises, we will have a deep compassion for the lost even when our lives seem to be in chaos.

Things were difficult for Paul, Luke and the 265 others, but it was got much worse. Lets read the next section from Acts 27:13-16, the storm.

The Storm (27:13-26)

and as we read, I’ll ask you to pay attention to the words that describe the intensity of the storm. How can we understand peace if we do not understand chaos? Verse 13...

13 Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. 14 But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. 15 And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along.

16 Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the ship’s boat.

(this was a lifeboat which was usually towed along behind a ship)

17 After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and thus they were driven along. 18 Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. 19 And on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.

Let’s stop there for a moment. Notice that all...

Hope was lost. (vv 13-20)

The sailors (notice the “they” words) did everything possible to succeed. They tended to their life-insurance policy (the lifeboat). The lightened the ship. They tried to stay close to land. They did everything possible for three days to succeed,

Has anyone ever been on rough waters before? I know my son, Andrew, and I were on them during a wilderness trip. That was a rough time, right?

Another time, I was in very rough seas during a fishing trip off the coast of Maryland. We chartered a boat for some deep sea fishing. As we entered the boat, we knew rough seas were a possibility but the Captain thought we might be able to avoid the storm. The trouble is that the six foot waves came in faster than we expected and the fishing was so good that day. The sea was so intense that I got extremely motion sick. I was so sick, that I was unable to hold a fishing rod any longer and became intensely absorbed in my own misery. Even though I wasn’t fishing, I like to think I still contributed to the fishing because I was regularly chumming the water with the contents of my stomach.

The seas were so intense that even the captain and first mate became very sea sick. We were a miserable group and I certainly despaired. Land could not approach quickly enough.

Luke wrote in verse 20 that all hope was lost. Every person thought they were going to die. There was nothing else they could do to try to stay alive and that was only on day three of the storm! They would have probably have been intensely sea sick, and even if motion sickness pills had been invented, they wouldn’t have been effective. Verse 17 informs us that they were afraid. They lost hope of ever seeing the sun and stars again, they were depressed and I can envision them doing what I did when I was tossed by the storm. I see them all lying on their backs weary, unable to eat food for fear of throwing up again, and putting their lives at the mercy of those who were able to at least try and control the ship. It seems even Luke believed the sea was going to swallow them up.

Until Paul stood among them and spoke God’s promise of deliverance...

Hope was regained. (vv 21-26)

verse 21 states...

21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss.

22 Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’

25 So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. 26 But we must run aground on some island.”

Paul and Luke would have known that...

We need to know that God loves rescuing people!

God had rescued people from storms before!

God rescued Noah and his family from the worldwide flood.

Before the sailors threw Jonah overboard, they were greatly afraid for their lives, but as soon as Jonah hit the water, the people and the ship were saved.

Then when Jesus and his disciples crossed the sea of Galilee, a great storm arose and the disciples feared for their lives, but Jesus calmed that tempest too.

God’s heart beats for people who desperately need to be rescued! (Jer 17:9)

Jeremiah 17:9 (ESV)9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can understand it?

When I was on the fishing boat in the Atlantic Ocean, I was so sick that I would not have been able to drive the boat back to shore had my life depended on it. That is a key concept we have to understand here. Our hearts are so sick, we couldn’t even save ourselves if we wanted to.

God loves rescuing desperately lost people, so...

God’s words hold fast even in stormy times!

Remember how in verse 20, how Luke wrote that “all our hope was abandoned?” We don’t know if Paul was afraid or if maybe the angel appeared to prevent Paul from sinning by losing hope in God’s promises, so we won’t read into that very much. What we know about ourselves though is that even though we have great hope and great promise, we are easily afraid. We step out on the stormy water like Peter walking to Christ, then we forget that God is with us. We forget that God loves delivering us. We forget that God was the one who called us to get out of the boat in the first place, do we despair even though His promises are right in front of us.

We don’t know if Paul was afraid, but Luke was and if that had been us in the boat, we probably would have been very afraid as well! Look at what the angel was told by God to tell Paul. God said, “Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.”

At this makes three times God told Paul he must go to Rome and this verse makes it clear Paul would indeed have a trial before Caesar. Paul had been obeying God all along, but God needed to remind Paul that God keeps his promises. God is patient with us, who are hard-headed and hard-hearted, yet he repeats his promises, he holds us fast in his loving hands, and even great tempests cannot tear us out of His all-powerful hands. God’s patience is magnified in our impatience.

God always does what He says. Paul knew this. God reminded Paul of this. Look at verse 25, one of two key verses in this passage. By the way, if you have been marking up text in your Bible, you will want to mark this verse. It is such a significant verse.

Paul declared, “25 So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.” God made a promise, and Paul believed, but it it didn’t stop there! Paul didn’t keep God’s words to himself. God’s promise was too exciting, too important, too powerful for him to hide under a basket. God’s promise exploded from Paul. “I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.” I believe in a big God whose grip is secure and who powerfully delivers people who desperately need to be rescued.

Paul said the ship would need to run aground on an island, which brings us to the third and final division in chapter 27.

The Shipwreck (27:27-44)

Let’s begin reading from verse 27

27 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. 28 So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms. A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms. 29 And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come.

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, 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it go.

33 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. 34 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.” 35 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. 36 Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 (We were in all 276 persons in the ship.) 38 And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.

39 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. 40 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. 41 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. 42 The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. 43 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, 44 and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land.

How many days had the storm been raging when Paul inspired everyone on board to have faith in God? (day three) On what day does verse 27 begin? (day 14)

For some reason, Luke wrote nothing for 9 days. Maybe he was too seasick to write or maybe, just maybe we know nothing about those days because Paul, Luke and the other 265 people on the ship acted in faith to God’s promise of safety! And that brings me to the first thing we learn from the account of the shipwreck...

We need to know that our faithful response to God’s Word lightens others loads! (v36)

Paul knew God would one day, some way deliver him to Caesar in Rome. What did he do? He confidently spoke God’s words to others who were struggling. Paul turned his off the storm and onto Christ and began physically ministering to the others on board by breaking bread. What is the point of eating if a person is going to die? Food was for those who were going to survive.

Remember that God chose to patiently repeat his promise to Paul? Paul then patiently repeated God’s promise to those whose eyes were still on the storm.

So Scripture says,

Acts 27:34–37 (ESV) 34 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.” 35 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. 36 Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 (We were in all 276 persons in the ship.)

Immediately after eating, they felt better and they chose to lighten the ship preparing for God to keep His word. Paul’s confidence lightened other’s loads.

I want to share one final lesson this morning, and it is this...

We need to trust God’s Word even though we are tempted to believe He has forgotten about us! (vv 30,42)

The sailors thought God had forgotten about them. (v30)

In verse 29, the sailors were afraid again. The sailors then prayed for day to come and devised a plan to rescue themselves. Paul’s God, our God, hadn’t acted yet.

Maybe they prayed to the one true God, but I doubt that. God made a promise, but he didn’t come through for them in the time they thought He should act. They must have believed that Paul’s God was the same all their false gods. God hadn’t acted yet, so they must act themselves.

The centurion chose to trust God because he cared about Paul. The centurion ordered his soldiers to cut the lifeboat’s ropes and acted in faith.

The soldiers thought God had forgotten about them. (v42)

If you glance at verse 42 again, the soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners. If any prisoner escaped, the soldiers would have been executed. The soldiers were afraid for their lives. They put limits on God’s promises and planned to take matters into their own hands. Again, the Centurion, wishing to save Paul, prevented the massacre and chose to wait and see what God was going to do.

Ask yourself this question. “How often do I add my own limitations on God’s promises?” “How long am I willing to wait for God to finally rescue me?” “How many days must pass until I take matters into my own hands again? Three days? 14 days? Months? Forty years? God never forgets his promises: His word is always good.

Closing Statement

God always keeps his word. If He did not, He would not be God. He always, always, always does what He says! And God closed this chapter reminding us of exactly this. Please follow along in the last part verse 44… “And so it was that all were brought safely to land.”

What is it that you are waiting to be delivered from? Do you have Paul’s unwavering confidence that God will deliver your soul? Do you have Paul’s confidence that God will do exactly as he promised so you can succeed in every spiritual battle you face? What doubts must the Spirit quench?

In your storm, are you focused on the waves beneath you, or are you actively ministering, like Paul to those around you who desperately need the hope you know. You know the way, you know the path to follow Christ, but how will others know of that path to Heaven if we do the same thing as everyone else in the middle of tough times?

It is only when God’s people believe God’s promises and act on God’s promises, that our seasick neighbors can be cured. God always keeps his word.