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Due to the large amount of sermons and topics that appear on this site I feel it is necessary to post this disclaimer on all sermons posted. These sermons are original to the author and the leading of the Holy Spirit. While ideas and illustrations are often gleaned from many sources including those at Sermoncentral.com, any similarities and wording including sermon title, that may appear to be the same as any other sermon are purely coincidental. In instances where other minister’s wording is used, due recognition will be given. These sermons are not copyrighted and may be used or preached freely. May God richly bless you as you read these words. It is my sincere desire that all who read them may be enriched. All scriptures quoted in these sermons are copies and quoted from the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible.
Pastor James May
FLOATING ON BROKEN PIECES
Acts 27:1 - 44
Has there ever been a time in your walk with the Lord that you knew that you were in the will of God; when you knew that you were walking in faith and obedience to His will; and yet, you found your life in the midst of a great storm?
Paul was sailing under God’s direction to Rome. He was in God’s perfect will and in God’s perfect time. Yet we see that Paul was sailing to Rome, not as a missionary, not as an Apostle carrying the greatest message ever told, not as a man of God – at least in the eyes of the world and those who considered him as their friend. Paul was traveling under guard and under arrest. He was destined to a Roman prison to wait for a long time until the “Man god”, Caesar, would give him an audience.
Acts 27:1, "And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus’ band."
This man of God, Paul, receiving treatment as a common criminal, not trusted by those aboard ship with him and under constant surveillance of the Roman Centurion, was not only being treated as a criminal but he was also headed for a great shipwreck for the ship was caught in a great storm called “Euroclydon”.
Acts 27:14-15, "But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive."
This was similar in magnitude to a hurricane in the Mediterranean Sea where they were sailing. For a wooden ship to be caught in the open sea in the fury of a hurricane was certain destruction.
The sailors (the church) had not the strength to fight the storm on their own, so they had little choice but to let the “wind”(of the Spirit) move the ship wherever it wanted to.
God knew where the ship was going for He was directing the wind. The storm was sent to destroy Paul and the ship but God used the storm to bring Paul to Island of Melita to preach the gospel and to heal the sick of that island.
God used Paul, even as a prisoner of Rome, from a shipwrecked ship, snake bitten, cold and wet, to perform the mission for which Paul was sent. Certainly this man was blessed and anointed by God! What a great testimony this would make!
God can turn our circumstances, our troubles, and our storms to our good also. Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
The ship (church as an organization) is sometimes battered and nearly swamped with the storms of life. The water (people with bad attitudes and problems) that enter into the church sometimes weigh it down and cause it to flounder and even break up in the waves of emotionalism, anger and frustration that follow after bitter debate.
(Many times throughout the scripture, the waters, as spoken in context, refer to the masses or numbers of people upon the earth)
But Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, "And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
Acts 27:16-19, "And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat: Which when they had taken up, they used helps, under girding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksand, strake sail, and so were driven. And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship; And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship."
The sailors on Paul’s ship used Helps, to under gird the ship – long bands of strong rope or cable that were wrapped tightly around the entire ship to hold it together so that it would not break apart in the force of the waters that struck against it.
It is the helps of the church that tend to bind the body of Christ (The True Church) together. When the people are busy doing the work of ministry, to youth, children, the elderly, sick, shut-ins, prisoners, etc., there is no time for bickering or casting of waves of bitterness upon the church. The helps bind up the ministry so that it is much more effective. The helps act as the strong cords, when those who are working are under the direction of the Holy Spirit and in complete unity and support of the ministries of the church.
The sailors on Paul’s vessel were struck by Fear that they would fall into quicksand and be sucked under and drown. Or they feared that they would be so mired in muck that they could not come out again. The church is sometimes so weighed down and mired in its circumstances and all the garbage that attacks it from both without and within that it cannot grow or change to become the church that it was designed to be. We get so bogged down by legalism, day-to-day details and planning that we don’t accomplish anything.
We can’t abandon what God has started. We cannot grow fearful of the storms that come against us. We can’t leave the safety of the church of God lest we are drowned in the sea of troubles around us. The storms won’t cease because we leave the ship. The storm will continue on until its fury is diminished, but God will see us through to the end.
Except we abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved! This is a strong warning for those who don’t want to be in church! I know that the church is people and wherever we come together in His name, Jesus will be there. We cannot forsake the assembling of ourselves together.
Each time we come together God feeds us the meat of His word and the Holy Spirit gives us encouragement and strength for the trouble we face. Where is the most likely place to meet with God’s people? It’s in the building we call the church – a building that houses the meeting of the real church.
Acts 27:31, "Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved."
Acts 27:33-36, "And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing. Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not a hair fall from the head of any of you. And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat. Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat."
Learn to be thankful in all things. God has it all under control anyway!
Make for Heaven’s shore. Stay in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ! It may seem that all is lost at times but God will not allow us to be lost!
You may seem over your head at times – swim on!
You may get weak and weary but – swim on!
You may get discouraged – hang on to the Lord and don’t let go! Keep on swimming!
You may reach the shore feeling as though you have been through the greatest storm that life could give to you but you will make it through!
Grab on to a piece of the ship! Hold on to the mast! Grab a piece of wood as it floats by!
God will not let you go down for the count! He will always provide a way!
God will send a piece of the ship to keep you afloat! If there isn’t a piece of the ship around for you to hold onto, then God has the power to let you walk on the water like Peter did if you just keep your eyes on Jesus.
God will bring His church through and not one soul will be lost – not one. Every one who stays in the ship and listens to the voice of God will be saved!
Folks, our greatest victories are ahead! God is bringing us through to be a glorious church without spot or wrinkle, washed in the Blood of the Lamb!
God has a work for us to do and no devil in hell nor people with the wrong spirit will be able to sink God’s church for He will not allow it to be lost!
There are souls we must reach and people who need healing that we must pray for. We will shake off the serpent, the Devil, into the fire of the Holy Spirit and he will slither away in torment for God has determined that the church will be powerful, pure and holy and that we will accomplish what God has given for us to do.
The people on that island looked at Paul as though he was a god because the snake had no power over him.
I want you to know that your family, friends, classmates, etc., will look at you and see Jesus in you. They will know that God is with you and they will marvel at the blessings and the power of God that is manifest in you!
The child of God should be above the trivial matters of this earth for this is not their home. Your sight is set on the streets of gold and the throne room of God our Father and His great majesty in Heaven. You should have an attitude of royalty for you are an adopted child of God. You should lift up your head in the midst of the storm and walk on in faith as though the storm wasn’t there.
I’m not talking about denying the storm but I am talking about looking past it or over it to see the victory that lies just ahead because the storm has no real power over you!
By faith we see the victory!
By faith we will see the sick healed!
By faith we will see those who are dead in sin, raised to a new life in Christ!
By faith we will see God perform miracles so that He may be glorified through us!
Thank God, the church, the people of God, who will put their trust and faith in God and obey Him until we reach Heaven’s shore, will live forever!
Romans 8:35-39, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Put your trust in God and in the leading of the Holy Spirit. Even the events of our lives that we think are delays or setbacks are in the overall plan of God. We do not know what God has for us to do each day but we do know that He will lead us one day at a time until we reach that golden shore.
