Journey Through Acts (Part 10) Series

The Journey: Following Jesus through Acts (10)

Scott Bayles, pastor

Scripture: Acts 27:13-44

Blooming Grove Christian Church: 8/27/2017

If you’re new to the Grove or just visiting today, we are coming to the end of a ten-week journey through the book of Acts.

The book of Act deals with the history of the Christian church and its expansion in ever-widening circles. Acts shows the mighty miracles and testimonies of the heroes and martyrs of the early church—Peter, Stephen, Phillip, Paul and others. Everything they did was prompted and held together by the Holy Spirit, working in the lives of ordinary people—merchants, travelers, slaves, jailers, church leaders, men, women, Gentiles, Jews, rich and poor. Every page of the book of Acts announces God is alive and active! He still is.

So as we bring this journey to an end, we’ve got time for one last adventure—one last swashbuckling story of danger and derring-do. That story is found in Act 27. Now, obviously a lot has happened since we left Paul and Silas at the Philippian Jailer’s house in Acts 16. After leaving Philippi, Paul continued his missionary journeys, traveling to great cities such as Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, and Greece. And everywhere Paul went some—like Priscilla and Aquila—believed and became Christians. Others responded with anger and aggression. Eventually, Paul returns to Jerusalem where an angry mob of Jews riots and drags Paul outside the city to stone him. A regiment of Roman soldiers came to Paul’s rescue, but ended up placing him under arrest. He stood trial before the High Council, then Roman governor Felix, then governor Festus, and finally King Agrippa. When Paul realizes he was getting nowhere with these corrupt officials, he appeals to Caesar.

And so Paul must travel to Rome, under heavy guard, to stand trial before the most powerful man in the world. Paul’s journey would take him from Caesarea all the way across the Mediterranean Sea to Italy. Along the way, Paul, his companions, fellow prisoners, and the Romans supervising his transportation, encountered some rough waters. Here’s how Luke describes it:

When a light wind began blowing from the south, the sailors thought they could make it. So they pulled up anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete. But the weather changed abruptly, and a wind of typhoon strength (called a “northeaster”) burst across the island and blew us out to sea. The sailors couldn’t turn the ship into the wind, so they gave up and let it run before the gale… The next day, as gale-force winds continued to batter the ship, the crew began throwing the cargo overboard. The following day they even took some of the ship’s gear and threw it overboard. The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone. (Act 27:13-20 NLT)

Luke wasn’t speaking metaphorically as he wrote about the terrible storm that engulfed the Alexandrian vessel bound for Italy; the waves were real, the danger genuine. Nevertheless, it’s easy to see the parallels between Paul’s journey to Rome and our own journey through life.

You may be weathering one of life’s storms right now—maybe it’s a financial storm or a family storm or a faith storm. Storms come in all shapes and sizes. And when we’re battered by the storms of life day after day, it can feel like we’re being swallowed by darkness and all hope is gone.

But I think Paul’s journey can give us some hope for own journey. In the midst of the storm, Paul called out to the crew of the ship, “Take courage!” (vs. 22) and Paul himself demonstrated boldness and bravery. So, how can you and I—like Paul—not only survive the storms of life, but have courage and confidence in the midst of them? Let me spotlight four things that gave Paul and his companions hope when all hope was gone. First, we can find courage in God’s presence.

• GOD’S PRESENCE

Paul wasn’t alone on the seas; the Lord was with him. Paul received a vivid reminder of that truth when an angel appeared to him. He announces to the fearful crew, “Take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me” (Acts 27:22-23 NLT).

It would be a blessing if we could enjoy the manifest presence of the Lord as Paul did. But even when you cannot see Him, He is still there: watching, leading, protecting, being God. You don’t have to see an angel standing beside you to experience God’s presence.

Jesus told his followers, including you and me, “I am with you always, even to the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20 TLB). When we’re in the midst of the storm, it can feel like our world is coming to an end. Sometimes it feels like the world is crumbling all around us. But even then, Jesus is right there with you.