Many of you came in here today carrying a burden, a load of care. The good news is that you can lighten your load, you can even get rid of your load altogether. Relax, you’re in the Lord’s house now, and I’ve got a feel’en everything’s gonna be alright! Amen!
Our sermon comes from the Book of Acts chapter 27.
The Apostle Paul was sold out to Jesus. He was so dedicated to sharing Christ with the world, that he had no regard for his own safety. As he traveled back to Jerusalem concluding his 3rd missionary journey, he was warned time after time through the word of prophetic ministers that if he went to Jerusalem he would be arrested and jailed. Yet he knew that he must return and that somehow God would receive the glory for it.
Sure enough, Paul was arrested and detained for two years whereupon he appealed to Ceaser’s court of law, which meant that he would have to travel to Rome and present his case. Acts chapter 27 fills us in:
27:1 When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. 2 We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us. 3 The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs. 4 From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 5 When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. 8 We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.
9 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Fast. (It was October) So Paul warned them, 10 "Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also." 11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. 12 Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.
How many of you know that the majority is not always right?
13 When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had obtained what they wanted; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the "northeaster," swept down from the island. 15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure. 17 When the men had hoisted it aboard, they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. 18 We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. 19 On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.
Listen, every sailor knows that you can’t ride out a storm with an overburdened ship. You’ll take on excess water and sink. The same goes for us, when we carry useless burdens around and a storm comes up – we’ll be in danger of sinking. And like these sailors we may even give up all hope.
21 After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: "Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss.
This gives us a glimpse into the character of Paul, he wasn’t about to let them off the hook without telling them, “I told you so!” - But why did he start off reminding them that he was right? Because he wanted them to now trust in what he was about to say:
22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23 Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, `Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island."
Not only did Paul encourage them, but he shared his faith in Jesus through a prophetic word.
27 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28 They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet deep. 29 Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. 30 In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. 31 Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved." 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall away.
Notice that the centurion is now willing to listen to Paul’s advice.
33 Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. "For the last fourteen days," he said, "you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food-you haven’t eaten anything. 34 Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head." 35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36 They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 Altogether there were 276 of us on board. 38 When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.
Isn’t it interesting, when your life is threatened, you have a whole different perspective on things. Now the precious cargo of grain didn’t seem so important anymore. Survival was the driving force behind their efforts to lighten their load even more.
Listen, the Devil has burdened many of you down, and he will try to sink you while you are still trying to carry it. My advice to you – loose the burden!
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. 40 Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. 41 But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.
Isn’t it great! Everything happened just as Paul had said.
42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. 43 But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44 The rest were to get there on planks or on pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land in safety.
Are you tired of carrying a heavy burden? Are you weighed down? Under a depressing load?
Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matt 11:28-30
Satan is our enemy and will do anything to burden you down. Because if you are laboring under a burden it’s next to impossible to be full of joy. When you’re under a burden you can’t live a victorious Christian life. When you’re under a burden you can’t be an effective soldier of the Cross, so Satan want’s to load you down.
He loads you down with guilt: Ps 38:4 “My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.”
God want’s to free you from your guilt today! Come clean before God, repent of your sin and unload your burden of guilt!
If you let him, Satan will load you down with all kinds of burdens - financial burdens, sickness, compulsive behaviors, worry, fear, and anxiety. He will oppress you, depress you, and possess you. He will track you, distract you and attack you. He will rob you, beat you and leave you for dead. He will criticize you, demean you and enslave you. He is a cruel taskmaster and there is only one way of escape from his talon grip. ----- JESUS
When evil king Sennacherib (who represents the Devil) was attacking Israel, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Isaiah. Isa 14:24-27 The LORD Almighty has sworn, "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand. 25 I will crush the Assyrian in my land; on my mountains I will trample him down. His yoke will be taken from my people, and his burden removed from their shoulders." 26 This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations. 27 For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?
The Jews were under severe attack and oppression from this evil king, yet God had a plan of deliverance for his people and in fact, He did save them from their enemy.
Make no mistake about it, the Devil is our enemy, yet many Christians have made an unstated covenant with him. Here is the pact that many Christians have made with the Devil, “I won’t bother you, if you won’t bother me.”
I won’t bother you, if you won’t bother me;
I won’t bother your side of the tracks, if you won’t bother mine;
I won’t disturb your peace, if you will leave me alone;
I won’t tell others about Jesus, if you’ll just stay away from me;
I won’t preach against you, if you won’t rail against me;
I won’t teach against you, if you won’t sick your demons on me;
I won’t pray against you, if you won’t prey on me;
BUT, Satan is a liar, and a covenant breaker.’
If you have entered into this pact with the Devil either intentionally or unintentionally, you have placed a heavy burden on yourself that is impossible to carry.
So, right now we are going to unburden ourselves of this unstated covenant with the Devil. Pray this prayer with me right now, “Lord Jesus, break the power of all intentional and unintentional covenants I may have made with the Devil. Lord, remove all burdens that Satan has put on me. Lord, make me a Holy Ghost warrior. Work through me to tear down the strongholds of the Devil. In the mighty name of Jesus who is exalted above all else – Aman!
The Bible says in James 4:7-10 “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
The Apostle Peter tells us in1 Peter 5:8-9 “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith….” alright, then how do we overcome the Devil?
Two ways:
1. By having the blood of the Lamb painted on the doorposts of our hearts
(We need to stay pure before God at all times – when you sin, clean up the mess right away – get forgiveness immediately)
2. Through our testimony. With confidence we need to tell others what Jesus has done in our lives. This is our personal testimony. We also need to speak out the testimony of what God is going to do through us. We need to speak out the prophesies, visions, dreams and destiny that God has spoken into our lives.
Rev 12:7-11
7 And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down-that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
"Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
There it is, we overcome the devil by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony.
Every time the devil tries to put a burden on you – shake it off: Shake it off by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of your testimony.
Burro in the well – (a man decided to get rid of his burro so he lowered him into a dry well and began to shovel dirt in on top of him. But every time the dirt hit the burro, he would shake it off and stand on top of the dirt. After working all afternoon the man saw that all his work was for naught, for there was the burro standing near the top of the well shaking off the dirt.)
So, every time the devil tries to put a burden on you – shake it off: Shake it off by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of your testimony.
I want everyone to practice telling your testimony of how Jesus saved you. I want you to find another Christian and practice telling him or her your testimony. After you’ve practiced telling your testimony to a Christian friend, it won’t be so hard to share with a non-Christian.
Zeph 3:17
17 The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."
