Sermon: The Aftermath - Dealing With Loss
Acts 28:1-10 “Once we were safe on shore, we learned that we were on the island of Malta. The people of the island were very kind to us. It was cold and rainy, so they built a fire on the shore to welcome us. As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand. The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, “A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live.” But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed. The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn’t harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a god.
Near the shore where we landed was an estate belonging to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us and treated us kindly for three days. As it happened, Publius’s father was ill with fever and dysentery. Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, he healed him. Then all the other sick people on the island came and were healed. As a result, we were showered with honors, and when the time came to sail, people supplied us with everything we would need for the trip.”
Introduction: After experiencing a 14-day violent storm, losing the cargo and the ship, escaping only with their lives, what is your next step? Right now, in this nation, I know many are wondering what my next step is. Many are preparing for another storm, while still wrestling with the aftermath of the previous storm. Those were the conditions faced by Apostle Paul and 275 traveling companions. The first thing we learn is that God can make strangers to be friends, friends in distress. Distress has a way of breaking down barriers and lines of separation. Those who would be normally despised or overlooked are often more friendly than the ones we call civilized. The people called barbarians in our text showed extreme kindness to total strangers. When Paul was bitten by a viper, the people thought that Paul was a murderer, and the viper was sent by Divine justice to settle the score. They knew that God governs the world, so that things do not happen by chance. The smallest events of life are under Divine direction. They assumed that evil always pursues sinners; that good works is always rewarded by God. Since murder was a dreadful crime, which should not go unpunished, Paul must have been guilty. But they thought all wicked people were punished in this life. Many make the same mistake in judgment as the people of Malta. Jesus had to address this same issue with his disciples who ask, who did sin that cause this man to be born blind? Why does a storm hit one house and leave another? Why does one person face a storm of sickness and overcome, yet others die of the same illness? Our God is sovereign and controls all things. Though some are made examples in this world, to prove that there is a God and a Providence, yet many are left unpunished, to prove that there is a judgment to come. They also thought all who were remarkably afflicted in this life were wicked people. Divine revelation sets this matter in a true light. Good men often are greatly afflicted in this life, for the trial and increase of their faith and patience.
When they saw Paul shake off the viper into the fire with no harm, they changed their minds. Like Paul, believers can shake off the trials of fire and overcome difficulty by the grace of God. God used the trials of Paul to open the door of ministry on the strange island. God opened a door for these people to receive the gospel message. The Lord knows how to raise up friends for his people in every place he leads them and can make them a blessing to those in affliction.
Acts 28 gives us some insight on dealing with the aftermath of a storm. The experts suggest that you should surround yourself with people you trust, talk through what you are feeling, stay involved with others, and don't expect too much from yourself or others under such difficult circumstances. You will find that you and your support network have what it takes to make it through these challenging times.
In Malta, shipwrecked, wet, cold, and confused, God empowers Paul to perform healing miracles which endear him to these strangers. Paul started serving others while he had problems of his own. He had been imprisoned for two years and was being sent to Rome to stand trial before Caesar. Paul began gathering wood for a fire, then he was bitten by a viper, I know he must have thought, “I don’t deserve all this!” “Why is all this happening to me?” Instead of complaining, he found a way to serve others.
The native people of Malta showed hospitality to the people who were on Paul’s ship. Publius, the chief man of the island of Malta made sure the sailor’s needs were met. Paul noticed that Publius’ father was sick with “fever and dysentery” and Paul healed him. Afterwards, all the sick people on the island came to Paul and were healed.
It seems so normal, in the aftermath, to feel isolated and depressed. It seems normal to want to drown in self-pity. Suffering great loss is hard. Often, the pain of loss can feel overwhelming. You may experience all kinds of difficult and unexpected emotions, from shock or anger to disbelief, guilt, and profound sadness. The pain of grief can also disrupt your physical health, making it difficult to sleep, eat, or even think straight. I know Apostle Paul must have felt that way too. Yet, Paul chose to serve. This text teaches three things about dealing with the aftermath of a storm.
First remember, No matter what your circumstances, find ways to serve others and serve the Lord. “Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, he healed him. Then all the other sick people on the island came and were healed.”
You may feel unable to cope; you may feel stuck; you may wonder if it will ever end. You may feel that you no longer know who you are or why your world has changed. This can happen soon after a loss or it may happen later. Any of these can make your grieving process more difficult. Finding a way to serve changes your focus. Volunteering your time, money, or energy to help others doesn't just make the world better—it also makes you better. Studies indicate that the very act of giving back to the community boosts your happiness, health, and sense of well-being. Paul could do little to change his present circumstances. He is still shipwrecked, a prisoner, and trapped for three months on an island, but he could find a way to serve. Serving people can bring us out of isolation and back into relationships and a sense of belonging in community. This could include spiritual communities that promote service or a focus on something larger than yourself. Serving others can help us create new or stronger friendships.
Secondly, remember, No matter what your circumstances, you can pray for yourself and pray for others. Luke 18:1 “Now Jesus was telling the disciples a parable to make the point that at all times they ought to pray and not give up and lose heart,”
It was our Lord who said men ought always to pray and not to faint (Luke 18:1). One of the benefits of prayer is that God will give us divine enablement to walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31contains a great promise of strength for the weary: “they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” This promises a supernaturally renewed strength—a strength that would compare to mounting up with wings of an eagle. The term “mount up” literally means to rise to another level. As the eagle can soar to spectacular heights on wind currents, the child of God will gain new heights by being uplifted by the Spirit of God. No matter what your circumstances, you can pray for yourself and pray for others.
Finally, remember, No matter what your circumstances, you can hold on to your faith. Paul's strength came from his faith in God.
He remembered the message Jesus told him when he was in prison, and the message the angel told him on the ship: He must go and stand trial before Caesar in Rome. He trusts in God, that God will not let him die before he gets to Rome, not even a storm, a shipwreck, nor a poisonous bite from a viper would keep him from his destiny.
If I had to spend two years in prison after being falsely accused, transported across the sea, shipwrecked and snake bitten, I would likely be tempted to sit and pout. Yet God’s word is sure and can be trusted. No matter where we are, no matter what our circumstances, we can serve others and serve the Lord, pray for ourselves and pray for others and we can trust God and do our best to proclaim the Kingdom of God. In the aftermath of a storm, we must realize that we are still standing by the grace of God. The storm may rob us of our loved ones, possessions, and of our joy, but not our hope. In the aftermath of a storm that hit Robeson County, North Carolina, two of the pastors that support our ministry, churches were severely damaged. After months of expensive repairs and much labor, they opened the doors again. Shortly after, less than two years later, another storm hit the same area again. And the repair work had to be done over again. After dealing with the feeling of being unable to cope; feeling stuck; and wondering will this ever end. No longer knowing what to do, who they were or why in the world this trouble had come to them again. I saw them rise up and begin again. You could hear them proclaimed, “My hope is built on nothing less, Than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ the solid rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand; All other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness veils his lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gale, My anchor holds within the veil.
His oath, his covenant, his blood, Supports me in the 'whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay
On Christ the solid rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand; All other ground is sinking sand.”
Yes, they rebuilt their churches and kept on serving, giving and loving. No matter what your circumstances, find ways to serve others and serve the Lord. No matter what your circumstances, you can pray for yourself and pray for others. No matter what your circumstances, you can hold on to your faith. Paul's strength came from his faith in God and Yours can come from the same place. God is faithful. Let’s pray,
“O Father, awaken every soul to see where we have built our lives on sand. Show us from every storm the way to build our lives on rock. You are our rock, our fortress, our deliverer, our God in whom we take refuge, our shield, and the horn of our salvation, and our stronghold. We know that every life built on the sand of human skill will fall. And yet, in Christ we have a great, sure and solid rock. Your word reminds us, “Who then shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword or wind, or waves? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through your great love for us.
For you have made us say with deep assurance: Neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor hurricanes nor floods, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. And all in Jesus’s name, Amen. (Prayer gleamed from John Piper’s Prayer in the Path of Hurricanes)
