In Dark Waters But Safe Hands
A two-part sermon series concluding the book of Acts
Dr. Tom Bartlett
OUTLINE
Acts 27:1-44 (ESV)
And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.
Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.
Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the ship’s boat. After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and thus they were driven along. Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. And on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.
Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. But we must run aground on some island.”
An Anchor for the Soul in times of storm
You must settle the questions of:
OWNERSHIP - “the God to whom I belong”
Who do you belong to?
WORSHIP – “the God to whom I . . . worship”
When serving God, you’re on a mission, when you’re done then God takes you, not before. Paul was on a mission.
TRUST – “I have faith in God”
I’m trusting in God, that’s where my focus is.
When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms. A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms. And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the ship’s boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it go.
As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength, for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. (We were in all 276 persons in the ship.) And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.
Now when it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to run the ship ashore. So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach. But striking a reef, they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf. The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land.
The Big Idea: The safest place on earth is in the will of God
MANUSCRIPT
Acts 27:1-44 (ESV)
The Safest Place of All
Weather channel – deadliest catch
I get intrigued by the shows on the weather channel, “Road Warriors” driving truck across frozen lakes delivering goods and materials to remote villages in Alaska. Then there’s “Wicked Tuna” where team are battling each other and the elements to catch wild tuna off the coast of North Carolina. But the show that got it started for me was the weather channel success called, “Deadliest Catch”. It’s not so much the fishing, I don’t even like fish, but watching these people brave the cold waters and wind of the Bearing Strait is unbelievable.
Now, I have some friends who are weather geeks. They’re all about the formation of clouds and systems, me not so much. I look at the weather channel or app each day just to see that they got it wrong again.
As we head toward the last days of Paul’s life, he finds himself getting ready to go to Rome. He requested to go to Rome and God said, ok Paul I’ll send you there and I’ll do it on Rome’s ticket.
Acts 27 is the one chapter in the bible that is studied more than any other by meteorologist and also historians who study ancient boat construction and wrecks. In this chapter they learn so much about the boats of that time. There are many stories that are told in antiquity, but this is one of the most famous. And, of all ancient stories of shipwrecks, this happens to be the most detailed. And because of that fact, scholars, for years, have studied Acts 27 just to get an idea of how boats were built, how people traveled, and what the facts were concerning seagoing voyages.
It is the last recorded voyage of Paul. We believe after this he will travel again and be re-arrested. It lasts all of Chapter 27, which is 44 verses long I believe, and into Chapter 28, down to about verse 15 or 16, so a chapter and a half. Luke gives the details of this voyage. It
Paul is now going to Rome, and he is in the safest place of all – THE CENTER OF GOD’S WILL.
But Paul believed, even though he was beaten, even though he was arrested, even though he had several mistrials with poor evidence, he believed he was in the will of God. And the reason he felt so sure is that when he was arrested in Jerusalem and then taken to Caesarea, the Lord appeared to him at night in a vision and said be of good cheer Paul, cheer up, man. Even as you have testified of me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome. The Lord told him you're going to Rome. So he's on a ship-- beginning in verse one of Chapter 27.
Now, we have here some parallels spiritually, because Paul's whole life really was a storm. He'd never had it easy. He followed relentlessly the will of God, but it never came simply. He fought, it seems, at every turn.
And all of us, as we sail through life, we go through storms. Every human being faces heartache, trouble, difficulty, every single one of them. Job said, as surely man is born, he is destined to trouble.
No matter what happened here, he believes he's in the will of God.
The total number of persons aboard the ship were 276, crew members, people who watched the cargo, the captain and his small group crew, and prisoners-- 276 altogether. So Paul and all of them are given under the direction of Julius a centurion of the Augustine regiment.
(Vs. 1-3) And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for.
Now, this is unheard of, but Julius, the centurion allows Paul to see his friends. This reveals several things about Paul. 1. He wasn’t considered a threat of flight, 2. His story of innocence was believed by those escorting him, and 3. He was considered trustworthy.
You see the centurion was in charge of Paul and if he lost his prisoner, his life would be on the line, but Paul’s reputation and good standing were more than obvious. It says something about someone when even their captors respect them.
When I pastored in Wilkes County for all those years, we had a preaching team of 12 folks. At one time on that team we had 2 prison guards and also on the team one of their former inmates who turned his life around. It’s says something about the character of these guards that they could share ministry together freely with a former inmate.
Now you'll notice that “And embarking in a ship” verse 2. "We put to sea” planning to sail along the coast of Asia." So the plan is to go and hug the coast. You'll see soon that we're entering the fall time of the year. It's dangerous to sail in the Mediterranean in the winter, always has been. Sailors know that. So this ship is going to hug the coast going up north along the coast of Lebanon and then Asia Minor and then going to cut across and stay along the coast.
Now, something about this ship. We have discovered, since this was written, what these ships looked like. They were about 180 feet long, 50 feet across or wide. And the hull was 44 feet deep. It was a very sturdy ship to withstand Mediterranean Sea travel. However, it had some distinct disadvantages. Number one, it had no rudder. It was controlled by two large oars at the stern, the back, the rear, of the ship. It only had one mast, not multiple masts. It had one solid mast with one sail that was square, a very rudimentary, basic sailing vessel.
(Vs. 4-8) And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.
As they are making their journey things are happening, the weather is changing and with great struggle they come a city called Fair Havens.
So they take the prisoners off one boat and put them all on this boat. This boat is from Alexandria, Egypt. It's an Egyptian grain vessel. Rome got most of its wheat and bread supplies from Egypt. They had a contract with that nation. So there were shipments regularly going over. And we know this was a grain ship, because when we get down to verse 38 we will see more about that.
(Vs. 9a) Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over,
The fast was the Day of Atonement. The one day of the year Jews were required by Jewish law, to fast, to afflict their souls, literally.
(Vs. 9b-12) Paul advised them, saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.
Now, they have thought Paul to be crazy, but I’ve been to Phenix, it’s a great place to winter, only he didn’t mean that Phoenix. Apparently Fair Havens was didn’t have the night life and amenities for the sailors to winter at so they wanted go further.
A temporary wind will give them the idea that they should go against all known wisdom for sailing and head out on their journey.
(Vs. 13-20) Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the ship’s boat. After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and thus they were driven along. Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. And on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.
(Vs. 21-26) Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. But we must run aground on some island.”
An Anchor for the Soul in times of storm
You must settle the questions of:
OWNERSHIP - “the God to whom I belong”
Who do you belong to?
WORSHIP – “the God to whom I . . . worship”
When serving God, you’re on a mission, when you’re done then God takes you, not before. Paul was on a mission.
TRUST – “I have faith in God”
I’m trusting in God, that’s where my focus is.
(Vs. 27-32) When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms. A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms. And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the ship’s boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it go.
Talk about faith! Letting go is tough, but if you’re truly gonna trust God, you must.
(Vs. 33-38) As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength, for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. (We were in all 276 persons in the ship.) And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.
(Vs. 39-44) Now when it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to run the ship ashore. So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach. But striking a reef, they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf. The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land.
The Big Idea: The safest place on earth is in the will of God
