“God in the Storm”
Acts 27
August 17, 2008
The opportunities are many and the temptation is strong for a preacher to take this passage and approach it from an allegorical perspective. Some pastors have done just this and posted their messages online, with titles like, “Four Anchors that Will Hold”; “Anchors for Life’s Storms”; “Never Give up the Ship”, and the like…despite the fact that in this graphic story, they ended up throwing the anchors overboard and had to ultimately “give up the ship”! The task of the Bible expositor is always to read the text in its context, interpret it according to sound rules of Biblical hermeneutics, and then to convey the text in a way that is faithful to the intent of the author, clear to the listeners, and of value in pointing people to Christ. We have to take care not to find in the text or in its application truths that even God is not aware are there! And so I’m going to try to avoid the temptation to “spiritualize” this passage today, and not avail myself of the opportunities to do so, and instead try to explain what was happening here, and what God intended for us to understand about it, so that we can more faithfully love and follow Jesus. Let’s read the text together!
Today’s message is an epic story of survival against overwhelming odds, of life-and-death struggle, of despair and hopelessness turned to hope, and of a God in control. Let’s begin with
Table Talk
What’s the scariest experience you’ve ever had? Have you ever been in the position of wondering if you’d survive a situation? Talk about it.
Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming. One second he was peacefully perched in his cage. The next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over. The problems began when Chippie’s owner decided to clean Chippie’s cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage. The phone rang, and she turned to pick it up. She’d barely said "hello" when "sssopp!" Chippie got sucked in.
The bird owner gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum, and opened the bag. There was Chippie -- still alive, but stunned. Since the bird was covered with dust and soot, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and held Chippie under the running water. Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do . . . she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air.
Poor Chippie never knew what hit him.
A few days after the trauma, the reporter who’d initially written about the event contacted Chippie’s owner to see how the bird was recovering. "Well," she replied, "Chippie doesn’t sing much anymore -- he just sits and stares."
Sometimes that’s the way we feel in life: sucked in, washed up, and blown over. I’m pretty sure that similar feelings attended the people in today’s story. We’ll take a bird’s eye view of it, and then consider some of the ways God was at work in that storm, ways in which He works in the difficult times—the storms—of our lives. For a little added fun, we’ll set today’s outline in a 60’s theme…
I. A Three-Hour Tour (sort of) - :1-8
With apologies to our friends on Gilligan’s Island, this was the beginning of what I’m sure all hoped would be a relatively event-free trip to Rome. But like the Professor and Mary Ann and all the rest, it was to be anything but…
Julius is the name of the military officer in command, a centurion, which ordinarily suggested an officer in charge of 100 soldiers. Finding a ship on its way east, in the direction of Rome, Julius, his men, Paul, and others set sail. Understand, of course, that in Paul’s day, such ships were at the mercy of the elements, sailing with the breeze in their sails instead of under power from any engines onboard. Keeping a schedule was not something in the minds of the sailors; arriving safely as the “gods” determined was foremost in their thinking, and their knowledge of winds, weather, and currents was their chief ally.
Luke is back on the scene here: “we”. It’s likely that Luke, as well as Aristarchus, to whom we’re introduced, and whom Paul mentions in both Colossians and Philemon, served as servants to Paul, traveling with the status of “slave” even; this would have explained a bit better the deference shown to Paul by the centurion Julius, had Julius considered Paul to be a man of means, with people waiting on his needs. And the text is all the more vivid because of the fact that Luke was on board, that he’d undergone the tumult and trial along with Paul instead of just hearing Paul recount it over dinner somewhere. We asked earlier if you’d ever been in a situation where you wondered if you’d live or die, to describe a harrowing experience. Luke wasn’t Superman any more than was Paul, and undoubtedly on the voyage he describes here there were times when he honestly wondered if he’d make it!
As we move through this text, notice the interactions between Paul and the other folks on the boat. Julius the centurion shows Paul some real compassion, allowing him to go and visit with the church in Sidon, likely accompanied by a soldier. Despite fighting some strong winds, the rest of the trip goes pretty smoothly.
The first part of the journey ends at Myra, one of the chief ports of the region. A ship from Egypt was in port there, on its way to Rome. Egypt was the chief source of grain for Rome, and this ship was one of many that would carry grain there. Julius directs his men, Paul, and the other prisoners, likely condemned men on the way to Rome to provide entertainment to the masses by their deaths in the arena, to board this ship, and they set out for Rome. This is not the easiest voyage, but the ship finally reaches the harbor of Fair Havens, on the island of Crete, probably still 800+ miles, as the crow flies, from its destination in Rome. This is when it gets interesting…
II. (Everyone Knows it’s) Windy - :9-20
The “dangerous season” for sailing fell between mid-September and mid-November; after that, no one sailed until winter was over. It had been a long trip to this point; the sailing was dangerous because of the weather; it was mid-October already (‘the Fast” mentioned here refers to the Jewish Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, and fell on October 5 that year). Apparently for these reasons, a council was called onboard ship, which included Paul, being the seasoned traveler that he was, and perhaps because Julius the centurion had already concluded that there was something different about Paul, a godly wisdom that set him apart from other men. Paul had been shipwrecked three times previously, and according to II Corinthians 11, had spent a day and a night in the open sea. He had logged, by the calculations of some, roughly 3500 miles by sea, making at least 11 such voyages; he knew his stuff! And Paul’s advice was that the ship winter in Fair Havens, because of the potential of real problems, including loss of life, if they were to venture out on the seas at this time of year.
But the centurion, who as the ranking military officer onboard a ship that was doing the business of Rome, had the final decision, went with the “wisdom” of the pilot and the ship’s owner, and decided that the ship would try to make it forty more miles to the port of Phoenix, a place that would be, in their estimation, more favorable for wintering in.
Everything started out well, with a gentle breeze that promised, in a matter of hours, to carry them to their desired wintering spot. But it didn’t last long: there quickly arose a violent northerly wind; the Greek is “typhonikos”, from which we get our word “typhoon”. The soldiers had a name for this wind: “Euraquilo”, a particularly nasty thing to try to navigate. And it caught ‘em, big time, so much so that there was no time to haul aboard the tender, the small boat used for shore excursions. It would normally be pulled behind the ship. The passengers were pressed into service, no doubt, and finally the small boat, which had probably filled with some water, was hoisted aboard ship. The storm got so bad that cables had to be passed under the ship to hold the hull together.
The Syrtis were quicksands off the African coast, and in first-century literature, the shallows of the Syrtis, according to one author, “inspired an obsessional fear”. In other words, nobody wanted to risk drifting to that God-forsaken place. While they were a good ways away from the Syrtis, no one knew how long the wind might blow, and striking these would mean the loss of the ship, and so further tactics were employed to slow down the speed of the ship in the hopes that the ship might not go too far off course. This helped; the ship proceeded along on a west-northwest course at a slow rate of speed—but the storm did not abate, and so more severe tactics were employed. They jettisoned more and more of their cargo as the storm worsened. And according to Luke, this state of affairs continued for a total of two weeks! Clouds and wind and storm; they didn’t see the sun by day, nor the stars by night, and thus they had no way of knowing where they were, as the sun and stars were used as navigational instruments. Imagine this: they didn’t even have GPS! The situation was bleak, and uncertainty reigned. Enter Paul, and his words:
III. People, Let Me Tell You ‘Bout my Best Friend - :21-26
I can’t imagine what these folks onboard ship had gone through. When we went on a cruise, though the weather was excellent and the sea gentle, I confess that I still had moments of at least semi-queasiness. I suppose that eating, under such circumstances, is not something a person would care to do; the very thought of food, even for a hungry person, would likely be stomach-turning. At any rate, these guys had been on the “Stormy Mediterranean Diet” for fourteen days!
There was likely little food to prepare, as some had probably been tossed overboard, and other rendered inedible either by the seawater or by the beating of the containers against the ship due to conditions; the conditions for preparing it must have been difficult; anyone who’s ever dealt with seasickness can probably relate to an aversion to eating amid choppy seas anyway!
Paul was, as I’ve said repeatedly, a human being, and I’m not terribly sure he was being prompted by the Spirit when he began his remarks one morning with the cheery, “I told you so!” But his words that followed on the heels of that remark were words of hope and authority, hope because of the message and authority because of the Source of the message, an angel of God. His words previously, about the potential for loss of life, were spoken as an experienced traveler; his words now, confident words that no life would be lost, were the words of a prophet speaking forth the truth of God. Paul had, two years earlier, received the assurance of God that he’d testify in Rome; these words come as a reiteration of God’s promise.
It seems that from this point, Paul takes something of a leadership role on board ship.
And the angel told Paul, “God has granted you” all those who sail with you. What did this mean, that the lives of all those onboard had been “granted” to Paul? In what way, in what sense? Can I make a suggestion here? Paul, ever diligent to pray and to witness, had a heart for those people who shared the ship with him. And God answered that prayer, for their safe-keeping, and while we can only speculate, we have to wonder if some of those folks came to faith through the witness of Paul!
IV. A Hard Day’s Night – :27-38
The Adriatic, in the central Mediterranean, is their location at this point. Finally came the call of “Land ho”! The sound of breakers beaching violently caused the sailors to know that land was near, and in the middle of the night, they didn’t want to run aground, so four anchors were dropped, and then they turned to the only Source they knew; they “prayed for day to come”. Wonder if this was as a result of Paul’s influence?
But notice that the sailors were men of great courage…not! Disregarding the safety of anyone but themselves, they tried to make a run for it under the pretense of laying anchor. Paul alerted the centurion to their actions, and the centurion stopped them dead in their tracks. For good measure, and to prevent any clandestine attempts, the ropes to the dinghy were cut away and the boat was allowed to drift from the ship. Julius the centurion was, by now, lamenting the fact that he hadn’t heeded Paul’s words earlier, and he was determined not to make the same mistake; Paul, for his part, knew that the accomplishment of God’s plans required the “means” of the efforts of sailors. Notice that faith in God doesn’t deny the importance of using good sense!
Paul knew that all hands would need energy for what lay ahead, and thus he counseled the taking of food. What remained could be prepared more easily, now that the ship was at anchor, and they’d be glad they ate after such a long fast. Then, because they wanted the ship as light as possible for when it ran aground, with the desire that it run aground far up the beach, the remainder of the wheat was thrown overboard.
V. Beyond the Sea - :39-44
The prisoners were under the supervision of the soldiers, and the soldiers were responsible for them; should any escape, there’d be problems for the soldiers, and so their plan was capital punishment, on the spot. Julius, by this time, had taken quite the liking to Paul, felt a deep debt of gratitude to this man whose God had spoken to him, and he forbade the taking of any life, but rather gave instructions to those on the ship as to how they could save their lives, by swimming of by floating on planks and pieces of the ship. And thus, as God promised, all hands made it to shore.
God in the Storm
Where is God in this storm? In this storm. God is working through the circumstances to accomplish His purpose; He is in the storm, not outside it, or unaware of it, and the same is true for the circumstances and situations of our lives.
Notice one of the things God has done: He has molded the character of His man, Paul, to be His agent in the storm. The storm helps to forge Paul’s character, sure, but it also serves to reveal it, and the same is true for us: when we are, like Chippie the parakeet, sucked in, washed up, and blown over by the circumstances of life, our God-forged character is revealed. Note
• The Character of Paul
We didn’t meet Saul of Tarsus, whom we know as Paul, until chapter 8 of the book of Acts, and the man we met there was belligerent, the worst nightmare of Christ-followers. Note who God has made him, as seen in the storm:
o An Agent of Hope
Paul was a man who combined faith with works, spirituality with common sense, a man of God and a man of action. Here, he is an agent of hope, both in words and actions, buoying the spirits of his fellow travelers with his words of God-inspired wisdom and confidence. Jeremiah was the prophet of God, prophesying of God’s judgment and Israel’s impending exile. God would allow Babylon to conquer them and carry many Jews far away. What does Jeremiah do, armed with this knowledge? He makes a real estate transaction, buying land in Israel (Jeremiah 32). Huh? Why would he do that? Because God had promised that Israel would be restored, and his willingness to buy land indicated his faith in God and pointed others to this fact: God would honor His promise to bring them back to the land. Am I a bringer of hope, speaking and acting as though I believe God is sovereign?
o An Agent of Peace
Knowledge of the fact that God was in control produced calm assurance in Paul, even when others were panicking and abandoning ship.
o An Agent of Wisdom
Paul was a man with common sense, in part because he studied much to understand life. Wisdom is more than knowledge; it is knowledge applied to the circumstance and situations of life. God granted him wisdom, to be sure, but ought not we as believers be well-read, be students of this world, such that we can apply wisdom to living life here on earth? All truth is God’s truth, from wherever the source, and it can be a winsome witness for Christ to have wisdom for the “mundane” tasks of life.
o An Agent of Witness
There is no “sermon” in this narrative, but Paul lives out his testimony, putting in words here and there that mark him as a man of God. He interjected God into everything he did, because God was there, and Paul’s words and demeanor onboard ship gave tremendous testimony to God.
o An Agent of Love
He had a concern for not only the lives, but also the wellbeing, of all concerned. What a motley crew this was: Roman soldiers; selfish sailors; condemned men who’d face the lions soon in the Roman arena. His compassion was a witness for Christ.
But this story is about God in the storm, not Paul in the storm. See
• The Grace of God
God doesn’t keep us from storms. He gives us grace to deal with them. Sometimes storms end in death. We might produce movies like Facing the Giants where everything comes out wonderful and we win the game in the end, but in life, it doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes, the Giants win! Life gets messy. God delivered Paul, but He allowed Stephen to die a martyr’s death. God heals, but God’s Word also says that “it is appointed unto man once to die”. Paul’s destination was certain; the journey had no promise of being rosy; God’s presence and grace were sure!
o People
Julius/Luke/Aristarchus/church in Sidon: God’s grace-gifts to Paul. And God was gracious to all on board by giving them Paul! We cannot just run by this without acknowledging the parallel to our lives: one of God’s great grace-gifts is the people He brings into our paths. There are no accidents; a gracious God has placed people in your life to accomplish His purpose! That’s the 2nd point:
o Purpose
God made clear that Paul’s purpose in going was to give testimony before Caesar, that Paul would accomplish the high calling and purpose God had given him. He had longed to take the gospel to the far reaches of the known world, to “boldly go where no man had gone before”, to use another 60’s reference! That was God’s purpose for him, and it would not be frustrated. And God, I’d remind you, has a purpose for your life, else you’d not be able to fog a mirror any longer!
o Promises
“Paul, you’ll stand before Caesar, and I’ll give you the lives of all these people as well.” Such were the promises of God, evidences of His grace amid the ferocious storm. And the promises of God from His Word are many to us in the storms of life as well.
Sucked in, washed up, and blown over: Chippie the parakeet, 276 folks on a ship in a Mediterranean typhoon…and sometimes, you and me. But the grace of God is there for us, for God is always in the storm.
Table Talk
Why is it sometimes hard to see God in the storm? How can we better see the hand of God in difficult times?
