Life’s Storms
Acts 27
1. Take courage in the sovereignty of God v.21
The sovereignty of God is the biblical teaching that all things are under God's rule and control, and that nothing happens without His direction or permission.
2. Take comfort in the presence of God v.22 -23
Isaiah 43:2 Isaiah 41:10
3. Take hope in the purpose of God v.23
James 1:2-4 Romans 8:28
“God will use every wisp of every storm to accomplish His purpose in us and through us.”
4. Take strength in the promises of God v.25
The storms of life. The usually come unexpectedly, and when they come, they throw our lives into chaos, confusion, and pain.
3 storm stories: and then a storm…cancer…; storm…loss of job, death of….
Acts 27 This morning we begin a new series called “Wrecked.” We sensed the need for a series like this because when we read your prayer requests, when we counsel you in our offices, when we get emails from you throughout the week, it is obvious that many, if not most of you feel as if your lives are about to be or are wrecked. Marriages empty and crumbling. Schedules overwhelming. Stress debilitating. Custody battles. Dysfunctional family life. Chronic health issues. This series is going to give some real hope and help for those whose lives feel wrecked.
And this morning, we begin with a snippet out of the life of the Apostle Paul. He had been arrested by the Jewish authorities and defended himself before the King of Palestine, a man by the name of Agrippa, a descendent of King Herod. BTW, Paul defended himself in the amphitheatre in Caesarea by the Sea where we will be next May….
Agrippa was going to release Paul, but Paul appealed his case to Caesar and so he was bound over to Roman authorities to stand trial before Caesar in Rome.
*The trip started out well enough. (show map). Their intention was to hug the coast lines, head from island to island, and get to Italy.
*But then the winds changed. They became harsher, they blew harder, the waves swelled…and they found themselves in a storm.
Isn’t that amazing about life? You’re going along, and things seem well enough. You’re marriage starts out well enough. You have a child and the parenting thing starts out well enough. You begin a career and it starts out well enough. But then storm clouds appear on the horizon. The winds begin to blow and throw you around. The swells are insurmountable. And you find yourself in a storm.
It’s interesting that Paul had warned them; he had given them direction, but they ignored it. Look at 27:9-12 (on screen) So many times we get into storms because we ignore the warnings and directions of the Lord. A dating couple gets involved sexually; they ignore the warnings of Scripture and their pastor, and find themselves in a storm. Or parents don’t heed the direction of Scripture to raise their children to fall in love with Jesus and His bride the church, and they find themselves in a storm. Or a married couple doesn’t heed the admonishon of Scripture in Ephesians: “Men love your wives and wives respect your husbands.” So it begins to get choppy, then more difficult and finally impossible, and they find themselves in a storm. A person feels like the money they earn is theirs instead of God’s so they don’t tithe, they shun generosity for greed, so they spend more but find more emptiness, become overextended and find themselves in a storm. The Bible is God’s love letter to us, complete with directions on how to live life well and warnings about what can steal, kill, and destroy our lives. And we ignore it at our peril.
So the centurion ignored Paul’s warning and direction and sailed on. 27:13-26 (on screen). And that’s exactly what happened. The storm blew them to Malta where they were clothed, fed, & housed until they could catch the next ship to Italy.
When storms come into your life, what do you do? How do you survive? Maybe you’re in a storm right now. You feel lost and adrift, tossed about by external circumstances and internal fears and doubts. When storms come into your life, what do you do?
I think this account of Paul’s storm gives us some incredible insight about surviving the storms of life.
1. Take courage in the sovereignty of God v.21
“Paul stood up among them and said, “You men should have followed my advice not to sail from Crete and sustain this damage and loss.”
They shoulda listened, but they didn’t. They shoulda known better, but they didn’t. So many of our storms are from our own hard headedness and rebellion. Sometimes our storms are the fault of someone else. Those sailors didn’t make the decision…they were just along for the ride. The poor decision of someone else put them in the storm. Or the storm we’re in is really just the result of living in a fallen world. Getting cancer or suffering from Alzheimers is just the result of living in a fallen world.
Regardless, you’re in a storm. And God knew you’d be in this storm. And so we have to grapple with the sovereignty of God. The sovereignty of God is the biblical teaching that all things are under God's rule and control, and that nothing happens without His direction or permission.
We’re going to work through this in the weeks to come. The book we’re going to read together (pic) is going to help us. But ultimately, we must come to the place where we accept the fact that the storms don’t catch God by surprise. They don’t over power God. They aren’t outside of His control.
I used to have a plack that I hung in my apt when I was in Houston. Wherever I moved, I hung it prominently. The Lord may not have intended this to overtake me, but He has most certainly allowed it. Therefore, even though it is an attack from the enemy, it has passed through His loving care, and therefore all is well.
Story
We can take courage this morning from the fact that in the midst of the storm, God is still on His thrown and He is still in control.
2. Take comfort in the presence of God v.22 -23
“Now I urge you to take courage, because there will be no loss of any of your lives, but only of the ship. For this night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood by me.”
We talked about angels this past spring. Remember, they are emissaries of God; messengers of God. The presence of an angel was tantamount to the presence of God.
When you’re in the midst of a storm what I’ve discovered is that THE most important fact and the one that gives our hearts most comfort is that God has not abandoned us; that God is not removed from our pain; that God is right there with us in the storm.
“I will be with you when you pass through the waters, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire, and the flame will not burn you.” Isaiah 43:2
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
Story
When you lose a loved one, God is with you. When you go thru financial catastrophe, God is with you. When you go thru a severely debilitating or life-ending disease, God is with you. And where the Spirit and the presence of the Lord is, there is freedom and peace.
3. Take hope in the purpose of God v.23
“and (the angel) said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar.”
Interesting. We have our plans, but God has His plans. We have our purposes, but God has His purposes. In the midst of this storm, the purpose of God was always in play.
And in the midst of your storms, the purpose of God is always at play. Sometimes that purpose is known to us, as in this case. But sometimes we’ll never know God’s purpose in a storm this side of heaven.
We do know that one of the purposes always in play is His glory. That in the midst of the storm, He shines through as the glorious one.
“Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:2-4 When a believer takes hope in the purpose of God and professes faith in God, there is the restoration of the image and glory of God in their hearts. Mature, complete, glorifying to God.
“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28
My suffering doesn’t have to be wasted. My storms don’t have to be pointless. “God will use every wisp of every storm to accomplish His purpose in us and through us.”
Story
4. Take strength in the promises of God v.25
“Therefore, take courage, men, because I believe God that it will be just the way it was told to me.”
You know faith is a choice, right? You can choose to believe or not believe. You can choose to believe that God is sovereign and this storm is not beyond His control. You can choose to believe that God is present in this storm—or not. You can choose to believe that God will work this together for our good and His purpose—or not. To not believe is to be filled with fear and hopelessness. To believe this is to experience courage and comfort and hope and strength.
We can anchor ourselves with these truths. And no matter how strong the storm, prevail. What storm are you facing right now? Boards
