The Importance Of Transition
God is calling his church to move from one spiritual position to another. God is always transitioning or repositioning individuals, nations and even rulers of earthly nations. This sermons examines biblical principles involved in such transitioning, as applied to the Christian. Using Acts 27.
Daniel 2:21 He changes the times and the seasons; he removes kings, and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those who have understanding;
Acts 27 God is calling his church to move from one spiritual position to another.
As we examine this scripture we need to apply the following symbolisms, to better grasp some concepts we will look at:
Ship = Church,
The Cargo = What’s onboard,
Wind = The Holy Spirit,
Sails = response to the Wind of the Spirit,
Rudder = Willingness to be directed, Stars = divine direction,
The Journey = Destiny and Process,
1. The Need to Discern Times and Seasons (Acts 27:9)
The ship meant to carry Paul to Rome for his audience with Caesar undertook its journey at “an inopportune time.” “Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Fast”, vs. 9.
We want to be in the place that God is in the present, not in the place where God was. So the question is “where is God now”; this is a question of time. God has times and seasons that are inalterable, and we are required to cooperate with His divine timetable. To sail against the present move of God is inadvisable; the time for older moves is past.
It is God’s job to let us know what the times and seasons are, and the Lord warned this ship in two different ways that it was not advisable to continue on their journey, first by a declaration of the accurate season (vs. 9), secondly by a gentle wind blowing (vs. 13). Both warnings were ignored.
God is declaring His accurate times and seasons in the church. Such men are like the “sons of Issachar that had understanding of the times” (I Ch 12:32). The men of Issachar are noted as being with Deborah and Barak, indicating their obvious gift of counsel and insight to leaders regarding issues of war (Jud 5:15). God is the catalyst behind the times and seasons, both in the church and in the nations of the world, and He desires to reveal this to us by giving us wisdom and power.
Daniel 2:20-23 Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him. “I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, And have now made known to me what we asked of You, For You have made known to us the king’s demand.”
The "times" are the phases and periods of duration of empires; the "seasons," the fitting times for their culmination, decline, and fall. Times and seasons, are not regulated by chance or fate, as the pagan thought, but by God, and God wants to give us wisdom concerning the times. Discernment is one mark of a mature church, while Jesus made clear that one manifestation of Phariseeism is to know natural times and seasons, but be ignorant of and in fact miss the day of divine visitation Luke 12:56 “Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?
Ask yourself are you doing what your doing because God is leading you or because you are driven by culture rather than the Wind of The Holy Spirit!
2. Reassess what is Valuable, Acts 27:18-19
The ship continued its course in spite of the above mentioned warnings, (verses 18-19) and immediately found itself in the middle of a hurricane. Facing sure destruction, the sailors decided to throw over their profitable cargo and even essential fixtures and furnishings from the ship.
Acts 27:18-19 We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands.
Transitioning requires a throwing overboard of wrong mentalities and inaccurate methodologies for constructing the church, and forsaking the good cargo of programs and “successful church” which hinder us from receiving God’s best.
In practical terms, this means accepting God’s measurement of His church and building accurately, vs. buying into Babylonian standards for “success”. Churches today measure themselves based on three primary Babylonian standards: how many people attend, facilities, and programs offered. Notice not one of these criteria speak to the accuracy of a church, or indicates if they are moving with God or not. What is valuable to you? If it’s numbers or success in man’s eyes, your “good cargo of a successful church” may in fact aid in your ship’s demise. We must radically reassess what God counts as valuable for the journey, and reprioritize our life and ministry based on new definitions.
3. Find Direction, Acts 27:20
The Scripture notes that the storm was so intense that the sun and stars were hidden night and day. Acts 27:20 “When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.” Planets speak of government, noted by the first mention of the sun and moon being given by God to rule the day and night (Ge 1:16). Joseph’s dream signified his brothers (represented by stars) and his mother and father (sun and moon) and bowing down to Joseph’s star. Joseph led his family out of an international crisis by accurate rulership.
Much of the church finds itself in this state of confusion, as many who formerly held charismatic positions are wandering as they adopt the newest “model” of church but still find emptiness in pursuing accurate spiritual positions.
God speaks to Paul …. The word gives direction
4. Hunger and Thirst Acts 27:21
Acts 27:21 After the men had gone a long time without food… and vs. 33 “for the last fourteen days," he said, "you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food-you haven't eaten anything.”
The Feast of Tabernacles is a picture of this technology of pursuit. Celebrated every year in Israel’s history, the faithful were required to build temporary shelters in their yards or near their homes to remind them of God’s provision in their wilderness journey of 40 years. The Feast of Tabernacles is always associated with water,
Jn 7:37-39 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. The issue Christ is addressing is “are you thirsty and hungry?” To move forward in God, we must possess spiritual hunger which cannot be requited by natural things.
We have to stay thirsty to receive rain, and stay hungry to receive nourishment. Our spiritual appetites must become dominant, with every other appetite becoming subdued to the purpose of God in our lives.
Nehemiah records a remarkable example of the power that spiritual hunger played in reforming the nation of Israel. Neh 8:1 “All the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate.” There are 6 principles to glean from these verses.
a. Their spiritual thirst was so acute it demanded nourishment, Neh 8:1 The people told/asked Ezra to bring out the Word of God. They weren’t coerced into going to church to be preached to, nor did they have to be browbeaten into listening or applying God’s Word. Their hunger demanded accurate ministry. They were so parched, and so spiritually hungry that they had come to a place of spiritual hunger which demanded nourishment.
b. Spiritual thirst, or a quest for God, must be THE unifying factor of God’s people, Neh 8:1. All of Israel had settled in their own towns (chapter 7:73), but they assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. Men, women, and even children who could understand gathered out of a sincere hunger for the Word of God. To be truly unified, we must have in common a spiritual thirst that can only be slaked by God. True spiritual hunger always includes the ability to migrate, or move forward, based on God’s direction.
c. Their spiritual thirst superseded cultural norms and the desire for convenience, Neh 8: 2 Ezra read from daybreak till mid-day, a time of about 6 hours. And all the people listened attentively to the book of the law! When we’re hungry and thirsty, we will be less concerned with our physical comforts and schedules than with being fed. Some churches make a foundation for growth the ability to minister to people conveniently, in as short amount of time as possible. The user friendly church perverts this principle of spiritual hunger.
Acts 20:9 notes that when Paul preached from 6 pm till midnight, Eutychus fell asleep and out the window to his death. Paul raised him from the dead, they ate again, and Paul spoke until daylight. This might be the longest sermon on record! Eutychus’ sleep is in some ways understandable: it was late, they had just eaten, the room was warm with all the lamps, etc. Yet his natural appetite’s hindered him from receiving the Word of God. Eutychus’ name means “well fated or fortunate”. Sometimes it’s the fortunate who are spiritually fat and passive.
Blessed are the hungry!
d.Spiritual thirst brings an elevation of the Word of God to it’s proper place, Neh 8:4,5. They built a platform for Ezra and the other priests to stand on to read the Word of the Lord, and all the people could see him because he was standing above them. The Word of God must “stand above us”, and reformation has at its core a proper respect and elevation of God’s Word, and is a return to a Word based operating system in the church. When Ezra opened the book of the law to read, the entire assembly stood up out of reverence and respect. Some churches carry on this custom, standing whenever the Word of God is read from in the church. Better to value the Word of God by doing what it says and living as it dictates.
e. Spiritual thirst requires a team approach to provide delivery systems so that all can understand and benefit from the Word being preached, Neh 8:8. Ezra read from the book of the law, and then many priests circulated and made sure that all the people understood. No one person, regardless of gifting and insight, can adequately feed the flock of God. Raise up others with the ability to aid in teaching the people of God, as well as empower many to teach the principles being declared to various demographics in the church, including children, men, women, etc.
f. Spiritual thirst will produce a changed lifestyle, Neh 8:14. To hear, and not to do, is worse than not hearing in the first place. The people had been born in captivity, they had no idea about the different feasts required in God’s law. In Neh 8:14, as they were reading, they realized that the prescribed time for the Feast of Tabernacles was upon them. In response to divine instruction, they immediately gathered the branches and made booths to camp out in for the prescribed time. They had never celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles before, it was a newly understood requirement. What’s written must be complied with at any cost. Our lifestyle must be changed in response to revelation from God’s Word.
4. We Have Never Been This Way Before Acts 27:39
Acts 27:39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could.
Those comfortable in the well traveled pathways need not transition, for they will not be able to enter unchartered territory. Jesus indicated that when drinking the new wine, many will say that the old wine tastes better.
5. Cut Away those things that keep us from moving on Acts 27:40.
They cut away the anchors which kept them bound to old positions.
• Old mentalities
• The fear of change
• Pride
• Relationships that we have been loyal to for years and which would cause pain to redefine, but without redefinition we remain stuck in the old. Loyalty is a Godly attribute until it keeps you from the will of God.
Jesus made it clear that even close family relationships could not hinder Him from doing His Father’s will, and those who hear and do the will of the Father are his genuine family.
6. Yield Control of Our Lives to God, Acts 27:40-41.
The sailors dropped the ships rudders back into the water, put up the sail, and trusted providence to save them. The rudders speak of direction and control, and the sail indicates the need of our sovereign God to fill our plans with His wind to empower us in going forward. Direction of our lives and ministries must belong to God, He alone must be the steering mechanism which directs our paths. Ps 25:4-5 Show me the path where I should go, O Lord; point out the right road for me to walk. Lead me; teach me; for you are the God who gives me salvation. I have no hope except in you.
Once the rudders were back in the water, the sailors were dependent upon the wind to propel them towards the island. The wind represents the Holy Spirit leading, guiding, and empowering us to move forward. We are dependent upon Him, even in building accurate churches, for “unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that build it.”
CONCLUSION
Paul always wanted to get to Rome, he said in his letter to the Roman Church: Romans 1:13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) He finally did but it had to be God's way not his. I pray those that read and study these principles would fill their sails with the Holy Spirit and be blown in the direction God determines. it probably won't involve our timetable or schedule. Blessings!
