God will lead us to Him if we listen and obey.
Acts 27:27-44
Why did the Author write this story? Was it to show that God will pull us through the storms of life? Or was it to show us how God provides for us and will lead us to safety if we will listen and obey?
Background Paul was brought before Herod Aggrippa by the Jews for fake charges. And now was being sent to Caesar in Rome. SO they were on their way and in not a very good time of year- winter. Paul tried to tell them not to go but they did and got into some rough storms. The storm of all storms, they even roped the ship’s hull trying to hold it together. They were violently being storm-tossed. After throwing out the cargo and the tackle they got to the point where all hope of being saved was gradually abandoned. Life sounds a little like that at times. WE get tossed around in our jobs, in school, in family and maybe even in church. But God leads us to safety if we will listen and obey.
1. with nothing holding us—We are drifting toward an unknown shore. Verses27-29 They had no idea where they were going. Paul had the faith that what God had told him would happen. He knew that God promised safety and everyone would live. It’s the times in our lives that we are heading somewhere and we don’t know where we are heading that we throw out the anchors to slow us toward God.
IN this passage I thinks Paul is trying to share with us that there are things we throw out and there are things we hang on to. There are our way then there is God’s way.I’m going to use anchor as our analogy.You know those little boat anchors in the coofee can with the metal u shape in them, they were great for my little row boat. But in the big ship you have those huge anchors that look like anchor and the weight a ton. If you try to put the big anchor on my 14 foot aluimiunm boat it will sink if you take the little anchor and try to use it on the ocean liner you wouldn’t even feel it. Sin is like that at times. They either sink you completely or they are so little that you hardly notice they are there.
a. The sin anchors-miss matched anchors the sin anchors are the anchors we have in our lives that stop us from going the direction that God has planned for us. Even though the men in Acts didn’t know that God was directing their ship they threw out four anchors to stop them from heading in any direction in the night The direction they needed to go.(dark). They feared running aground. What is it we fear that we throw out anchors for? Maybe not being loved , maybe our physical or spiritual needs not being met.All those things come into play when we are dealing with stopping ourselves from what God has planned for our lives.
b. Look at Four sin anchors.What could be four sins that we anchor ourselves with .
i. Self-centeredness- Verse 30 there were some men that were only thinking about themselves. And they lied about what they were going to do so they could escape. Ro.2:8 But to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.
1Corth. 13:5 Love does not seek it’s own. The opposite of Love is self.
ii.Lust of the flesh-1John 2:16 “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life is not from the Father, but is from the world.
The lusts of the flesh are easy to identify Gal. 5:19 says they are--- now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are; immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enminties, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these….
An overwhelming desire or craving. Have to have it! That is the sin of lust.
ii. Money- An anchor that gets a lot of us. We say oh I wish I had a lot more money. I could buy this and that. Some people will do almost anything for money.
Matt 6:24, “ You can not serve God and mammon.” Jesus said.
Now that is one of those anchors that get is into a lot of trouble. Oh you mean to follow God it means getting into my pocket? Yes it does because everything you have belongs to Him anyway. Read Matthew 6:25-34
1Timothy 6:10 “ For the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many a pang.”
iii. The fourth anchor is the sin anchor of Idolatry- This was mention earlier briefly. But this anchor includes all the previous anchors and plus what is mentioned in Colossians 3:5—“immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed which amounts to idolatry. Let’s bring these a little closer to home. How about sports, TV, computer, video games, reading what ever it might be can you idolize these more than God.It amazes me the passion we have for a football game and the lake of passion we have for the love of Christ.
In verse 40 when it was time to move on they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea and at the same time got ready to go forward. It is the same with us, we need to cast these sin anchors into the sea and head for God!! We cannot continue to let sin reign to run unchecked, unconfessed and unforgiven. It tears at the very fabric of our relationship with God. They need to be casted off and left in the sea. Left behind! 1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We’ve talked about the anchor of sin, but now I would like to talk to you about the one anchors of the soul.
These is an anchor we should put on.
In our text we can see that God’s providence in the life of Paul and his companions. God had a plan and told Paul they would be alright. The hope that was seen for the men on the ship and the sailor that wanted to leave earlier and then in verse 42 the hope for the prisoners that they were going to kill was all in the God’s hands some of them didn’t even realize it. Last verse and they were all brought safely to land. God’s word stood as it was told by Paul. He promised they would be saved and they were. WE have the same kind of promise in the hope of Jesus Christ . There is no other hope that can save our shipwretched souls. Our storm tossed lives Our broken and batteredhearts than the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
HOPE — confident expectancy. In the Bible, the word “hope” stands for both the act of hoping (Rom. 4:18; 1 Cor. 9:10) and the thing hoped for (Col. 1:5; 1 Pet. 1:3). Hope does not arise from the individual’s desires or wishes but from God, who is Himself the believer’s hope: “My hope is in You” (Ps. 39:7). Genuine hope is not wishful thinking, but a firm assurance about things that are unseen and still in the future (Rom. 8:24–25; Heb. 11:1, 7).
Hope distinguishes the Christian from the unbeliever, who has no hope (Eph. 2:12; 1 Thess. 4:13). Indeed, a Christian is one in whom hope resides (1 Pet. 3:15; 1 John 3:3). In contrast to Old Testament hope, the Christian hope is superior (Heb. 7:19).
Christian hope comes from God (Rom. 15:13) and especially His calling (Eph. 1:18; 4:4), His grace (2 Thess. 2:16), His Word (Rom. 15:4) and His gospel (Col. 1:23). Hope is directed toward God (Acts 24:15; 1 Pet. 1:21) and Christ (1 Thess. 1:3; 1 Tim. 1:1). Its appropri-ate objects are eternal life (Titus 1:2; 3:7), salvation (1 Thess. 5:8), righteousness (Gal. 5:5), the glory of God (Rom. 5:2; Col. 1:27), the appearing of Christ (Titus 2:13) and the resurrection from the dead (Acts 23:6; 26:6–7).
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all
The anchor for our soul is Hope.Without in we will be tossed 14That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16
The eternal hope
