Acts 27:13-29 READ
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....Mr. Tom…
2 Corinthians 11:24-27 says, “From the Jews five times I received forty [stripes] minus one.
Three 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;
[in] 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;
in 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!
Dr. Brian and I were talking about all the wonderful things we’ve been seeing here. He made a statement about how easy it is to remain excited while God is doing so much but how about if God suddenly gets quiet. How will we react?
When the enemy fails in his attacks from the outside, he then begins to attack from within.
If he can get us thinking only about ourselves and what we want, then he will win the victory before we realize that he is even at work.
1. When You’re In A Storm, You Cannot Depend On Human Wisdom
Acts 27:17-19 says,
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,
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,
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 -
And that is… listen to God!
James 3:14-17 says, “But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.
This wisdom does not descend from above, but [is] earthly, sensual, demonic.
For where envy and self-seeking [exist], confusion and every evil thing [are] there.
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
What you and I must know is that God will never mislead us!
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,
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..
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! *Church sign “When all else fails…pray”
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 NLT says, There is hope only for the living. For as they say, "It is better to be a live dog 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.”
Over the next couple of weeks we will take a closer look at each of these anchors.
What I want to know to ask today is “Are You Anchored In The Storm?”
