10.07.07 AM Smyrna Assembly of God Pastor Shell Osbon
“Are You Anchored In The Storm?” – Part 1
Acts 27:13-29
Acts 27:13-29 says, 13“When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their desire, putting out to sea, they sailed close by Crete. 14But not long after, a tempestuous head wind arose, called Euroclydon (a violent agitation). 15So when the ship was caught, and could not head into the wind, we let her drive. 16And running under the shelter of an island called Clauda, we secured the skiff with difficulty. 17When they had taken it on board, they used cables to undergird the ship; and fearing lest they should run aground on the Syrtis Sands, they struck sail and so were driven. 18And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship. 19On the third day we threw the ship’s tackle overboard with our own hands. 20Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up. 21But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, ‘Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. 22And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, 24saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’” (Cont’d next page)25“Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. 26However, we must run aground on a certain island.’ 27Now when the fourteenth night had come, as we were driven up and down in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors sensed that they were drawing near some land. 28And they took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and when they had gone a little farther, they took soundings again and found it to be fifteen fathoms. 29Then, fearing lest we should run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern, and prayed for day to come.”
Intro
We just read about one of the many storms that the Apostle Paul experienced during his life as a follower of Jesus Christ but there’s more to his story than just this one storm....
2 Corinthians 11:24-27 says, 24“From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.”
As we see in the life of Paul, there are no guarantees that our lives will be storm-free!
1. When You’re In A Storm, You Cannot Depend On Human Wisdom
Acts 27:17-19 says, 17“They used cables to undergird the ship; and fearing lest they should run aground on the Syrtis Sands, they struck sail and so were driven. 18And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship. 19On the third day we threw the ship’s tackle overboard with our own hands.” These were highly skilled sailors who knew what they were supposed to do whenever they faced a storm and they did exactly as they had been trained to do. And they executed it perfectly but look where they ended up...
Acts 27:20 says, “Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up.”
As a follower of Jesus Christ, one of the most difficult things to do when you’re going through a storm will be to resist the temptation to handle your storms in the way that you think they should be handled.
You may feel like you need to handle your financial storms the way your CPA advises you and file for bankruptcy. You may feel like you need to handle your marital storms like your parents did and file for divorce. You may feel like you need to handle the storms on your job like your best friend did and just quit.
Proverbs 3:5,6 says, 5“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. 6In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”
If you try to survive the storms of your life based on human wisdom, you will only see human results!
2. When You’re In A Storm, You Can Depend On Godly Wisdom
Acts 27:21-25 says, 21“Paul stood in the midst of them and said, ‘Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. 22And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, 24saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.”
Paul wasn’t a sailor so he didn’t know much about what to do when a ship was in the middle of a storm. But Paul was a follower of Jesus Christ and he knew exactly what to do when his life was in the middle of a storm - listen to God!
James 3:14-17 says, “Wisdom that comes from below (man) is sensual, demonic, filled with envy, jealousy and produces confusion and every evil thing will be present. Wisdom from above (God) is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”
You must know is that God will never mislead you! The wisdom that comes from God can be trusted at all times!
3. When You’re In A Storm, You Need To Drop Some Anchors
Acts 4:29 says, “Then, fearing lest we should run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern, and prayed for day to come.” These sailors dropped four anchors to stabilize the ship so that they could survive this terrible storm. They had tried everything else and their last resort was to try to stabilize the ship and weather the storm..
Allegorically, let me say that I believe there are 4 anchors that every follower of Jesus Christ needs to have in their life if they hope to weather the storms that will come.....
A. The Anchor of Prayer
Whenever a storm comes your way, don’t let prayer be the last thing that you do. Drop to your knees and pray before you try to do anything else!
Jeremiah 33:3 God says, “Call unto Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know.”
B. The Anchor of Fellowship
So often, I see Christians make the mistake of pulling away from their church whenever they are going through a storm. Satan knows that if he can get you separated from the rest of the Body that you are an easy target for him.
Hebrews 10:25 Living Bible says, “Let us not neglect our church meetings, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of His coming back again is drawing near.”
C. The Anchor of Faithfulness
Another tragic decision that some folks make is that they stop being faithful to what God has called them to do.
1 Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
D. The Anchor of Hope
Ecclesiastes 9:4 Contemporary English Version says, “As long as we are alive, we still have hope, just as a live dog is better off than a dead lion.”
Conclusion
Proverbs 10:25 Living Bible says, “Disaster strikes like a cyclone and the wicked are whirled away but the good man has a strong anchor.”
“Are You Anchored In The Storm?” If so, you will need to remember that....
1. You Cannot Depend On Human Wisdom
2. You Can Depend On Godly Wisdom
3. You Need To Drop Some Anchors
a. The Anchor Of Prayer
b. The Anchor Of Fellowship
c. The Anchor Of Faithfulness
d. The Anchor Of Hope
