How often do your plans start well but then somehow moved into chaos? You make all the arrangements but then disaster strikes.
• Where do you turn to in times of crisis? When you have done all that you possibly can, what’s next? Are we going to give up or still stick with God?
• Welcome to Acts 27-28. You have the answers here.
We are going to continue the voyage with Paul and the rest of the 276 men on board.
• Luke recorded this exceptional trip as an eye-witness because he was with Paul, together with another of Paul’s companion Aristarchus.
• They were thrown into a massive storm. We ended the dreadful situation midway last week, right in the middle of the sea, with a word from the Lord.
• The next part of the journey was equally, if not more, life-threatening and scary.
Luke did a wonderful work in writing this narrative, giving us a very detailed and graphic description of what took place.
• We were not just informed of what happened, we could almost feel the tension and anxiety of the people on board.
• Luke did not summarise the trip in one or two paragraphs; he gave us two chapters on it.
• And we believe, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, it serves a purpose.
We see here the faith of Paul, the man of God, in real life.
• We have seen him in many roles, but here we have a portrayal of a Christian living out his faith in very real and practical circumstances of life.
• Over surprisingly very difficult situations which God has allowed, and that’s what Luke wants us to see and understand.
Let us recap the first half of the journey before we continue with our passage today, which is Acts 27:27-44.
• They set sail in a coastal ship from Caesarea to Sidon and then Myra, where they were transferred onto a larger cargo ship heading for Italy.
• The trip from Myra was difficult because of the strong wind. Luke stressed it, they arrived with difficulty off Cnidus (v.7) and coasted with difficulty (v.8) to Fair Havens.
• Precious time was lost because the wind has been against them. It was now monsoon season and Paul advised them not to sail on.
• He was speaking from experience, having travelled frequently in his mission trips and also survived three shipwrecks before, he mentioned in 2 Cor 11:25.
But the centurion listened to the pilot and owner of the ship instead and decided to move on, hoping to reach Phoenix just further down the coast. They failed.
• A hurricane struck and they were driven out to sea.
• Luke said it was again “with difficulty” they managed to hoist the ship’s boat up and secured it (v.16).
• They lost all control and were helplessly “driven along” by the wind (vv.15,17). That was the first day.
• On the second day (v.18), they had to throw the cargo overboard, and on the third, the ship’s tackle (v.19) [the pulley].
Then came many days under the dark sky without the sun or stars (v.20), meaning they could tell their course.
• Luke summed it all up: “…all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.” (v.20)
• Hopelessness set in after days of darkness, seasickness and hunger, and when even the experts say there is nothing more they can do.
When all hope was lost, the word of hope came to Paul.
• 27:23-24 “For this very night [when Paul and the people needed it most] there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 24and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’”
• The first promise was a repeat; the second new. Everyone will be saved.
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Let’s read today’s passage - Acts 27:27-29 Drifting in Open Sea
27When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. 28So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms [each 2m]. A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms. 29And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come.
• After drifting in the open sea for two weeks, they heard the sound of the breaking of waves and guessed they were nearing some land.
• They checked and confirmed that they were moving towards shallow waters and decided to stay put until daylight comes.
Meanwhile, knowing that they were near some land…
Acts 27:30-32 Nearing Land
30And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the ship’s boat into the sea under pretence of laying out anchors from the bow, 31Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.”
• Without the skills and experience of these sailors, it would be difficult for them to land the ship safely. Paul noticed it and warned the centurion who then ordered…
• 32Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it go.
• The centurion might have over-reacted here; keeping the boat would be useful.
Acts 27:33-38 Taking Food
33As 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. 34Therefore 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.” 35And 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. 36Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37(We were in all 276 persons in the ship.) 38And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.
• Paul encouraged the people to eat. This proved to be significant because the next day, they would have to swim to shore.
• Luke probably got the number 276 while rationing the food for the people.
Acts 27:39-44 The Shipwreck
39Now 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. 40So 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. 41But striking a reef, they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf. 42The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. 43But 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, 44and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land.
What a landing! It was completely unexpected, but it turned out well.
• The soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners because they would be held accountable if any of them escaped, but God worked through the centurion to protect Paul.
• And everyone was saved, as the Lord has said. The ship was destroyed, just as the Lord said too (v.22). What an end to the rough voyage!
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And that’s the God-ordained trip for Paul! Not exactly smooth-sailing. It was tumultuous and life-threatening.
• Those who teach that is it NOT God’s will for us to face troubles and hardships in life are mistaken. God works through all circumstances of life to achieve His purposes.
• He is sovereign over everything that has taken place. He has been present and watching.
• He orchestrated a series of proofs of His presence on this journey.
We know the START and we know the END, but what happened in-between was rather shocking to us.
• The START - Paul appealed to Caesar and the Lord said he would testify in Rome.
• The END - Paul would be in Rome to stand trial before the Emperor.
• But what happened in-between wasn’t what many could understand. Why such a difficult trip? Why didn’t God ensure that it will be smooth-sailing?
• It’s like not reading the fine print when we commit to this trip and it reads, “You can expect to be “violently storm-tossed” (v.18), meet a hurricane, drift for days without sun and stars, and food, and then a shipwreck at the end. Happy sailing!”
This might be the reason why Luke put in so many details to show us how Paul lived out his faith in real life. This is how a Christian lives out his faith.
• Right from the start, Luke tells us the difficulties they faced, fighting against the wind.
• When his advice was rejected, Paul and the others were dragged into the storm, so to speak. They suffered the consequence of someone’s wrong decision.
• There are moments in life when we suffer afflictions that come from the mistakes of others and not ours but remember, God is still sovereign and He allows it.
They were battered by the storm and drifted aimlessly in the open sea for weeks, completely at the mercy of the elements.
• There are moments in life when we feel lost and hopeless, but remember, God is still in control and He allows it. We just have to wait it out.
Have you gotten lost before? Really lost, not knowing where you are and how to get home? It’s scary, right? Scary on land, but more so out in the sea.
When I was studying in Illinois I would drive from my college in Deerfield in the suburb north of Chicago, down South to the Chinatown in Chicago. It’s about an hour’s drive.
On one occasion not long after I arrived, I went in the late afternoon and forgot about the time. When I left, it was getting dark. The sun sets early at a certain time of the year (like end-Nov) and it gets dark even at 5pm.
I was completely lost. Driving in the day and in the night is a world of difference. Everything changes. I can’t see the buildings, just the lights.
And you know what you do when you are lost? Drive faster, hoping that by doing that you can find something that you can recognise. The further I moved, the more confused I became. I had the usual topography map but that’s not helping without the details. I do not know where to begin because I do not know where I am.
I looked at the little compass on the dashboard, so I say, just go North, at least that’s the right direction. Then came a second thought, if you’ve drifted, even North won’t get you to the right place.
I broke out in a cold sweat. My hands were wet on the steering wheel. I kept praying as I drove. That’s the only hope you have – His presence and His help.
After another half an hour or so, by God’s grace, I finally got out of the maze. I was finally back in college, double the usual time.
I learnt from the scary trip, of course. That’s how the Lord teaches us.
Imagine being lost in the open sea and without reference points.
• They threw almost everything out - the grain cargo (v.18), the ship’s tackle (v.19), the cutting away the small boat (v.32), and then the rest of the wheat (v.38).
• And finally, even the humans were thrown overboard by the shipwreck.
• You can do all that you can to stay afloat, but ultimately, God is the Lord of our lives and He alone saves. He is our true protection.
Throughout the ordeal, the Lord has been in control. At crucial moments, He spoke – when we needed it most! He is near.
• In 23:11 (Jerusalem) the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”
• Now in 27:23-24 “…an angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve, stood beside me 24and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And look, God has granted you the lives of all who sail with you.’
• God knew the way it would all end – 27:22 “Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.”
• It would end in a shipwreck!
He knows when we are fighting against the wind, tossed by the waves, drifting aimlessly, not seeing the light of day for a long time, feeling hopeless and hungry, or even experiencing a shipwreck of some kind…
• None of these experiences negates the truth that the Lord is present and watching.
Mediacorp has this reality show a few years back, where children were tasked to run errands on their own for the first time, all the while being shadowed by the camera crew without their knowledge.
A team of them, in fact, so make sure that they were safe when they cross the road and take the train. They were being followed!
• So are we today. We are being followed by our Lord who loves us and cares for us.
So we do not read God through the lens of our human experience. We read God through the lens of Scripture.
• We know He is sovereign, ever-present and all-powerful to save us. Don’t let circumstances distort that.
• The filter through which we see everything else affects us. If we look through our situation and try to understand God, we end up with wrong assumptions about Him.
• We are usually more affected by what we “think about” what happens to us than what actually happens to us.
Paul did not doubt God despite the ordeal. He still sees the “God to whom I belong and whom I serve” (27:23) in the midst of it.
• Against the helplessness and hopelessness of this frightening voyage stands a sovereign God whom Paul trusts and worships.
• He says, “…I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.” (27:25) He trusts what God says.
Paul did not “preach” the Gospel this time around, he lived it.
• He shines on this trip, inspiring the people to put their faith in his God.
• When everyone was saved on the shore of Malta, they would remember what Paul’s God has said.
• His promise was fulfilled to the letter – the ship was destroyed but every life on board saved.
God kept His Word and fulfilled His will despite the powerful forces of nature that threaten to derail it.
• Can we see Him in our trials and tribulations today?
• The God to whom we belong and whom we worship is still here today. We can trust Him.
PRAYER:
Thank you for Your Word, Lord and the testimony of Paul.
May our faith in you grow stronger through the trials and tribulations of life. May our witness for you brings hope and strength to all those who are struggling today.
May us preach and live the Gospel. In Jesus’ Name, AMEN.
